Forever My Girl is a 2018 movie based off the first book in The Beaumont Series by Heidi McLaughlin, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. The romance movie stars Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, whose on-screen chemistry left the audience at the edge of their seats. The witty twists directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf kept viewers immensely entertained.
The movie starts with Liam Page (Alex Roe) who leaves Josie (Jessica Rothe) of St. Augustine, Louisiana at the altar. Heartbroken, the southern belle continues on with her life and vows to never contact Liam again. Liam, on the other hand, is focused on his career as a country singing heartthrob, touring the states and expanding his fan base. But the thought of Josie keeps him coming back to St. Augustine. Eight years later while on tour in Louisiana, Liam returns to his hometown when he hears about the death of his best friend. Sparks fly when the estranged lovers meet, but when secrets rise, the true strength of the relationship is tested.
Forever My Girl hit theaters on January 19. The movie bombed on the well known review site “Rotten Tomatoes”, scoring an unsatisfactory 21%. Despite the substandard critic review, the audience score was a reputable 91%. These divergent statistics clearly outline the difference between a Lifetime-movie-hating professional critic and the cliche loving audience.
“The problem is not the well-worn plot or familiar characters, but the fact that Wolf adds no depth or complication to either that would made the film her own,” said Ella Taylor, a film critic on npr.com.
In general, most critics thought that the movie lacked depth and was barely above a Lifetime movie. Camera work was also called into question and editor Priscilla Nedd- Friendly was put under the spotlight. “The camera work, which is full of irritating little shimmies that oughtn’t be there; most egregiously, during a major emotional beat near the climax and right in the middle of a hugely important close-up,” said Tim Brayton for alternateending.com
From my point of view, the rather cheesy romance movie contained many unexpected literal and metaphorical punchlines. The audience ate up the first meeting when Josie punched Liam in the gut and laughed when the elderly women called Liam an idiot. Their daughter Billy’s (played by Abby Ryder Fortson) sassy mouth and no-nonsense personality left the the crowd wanting more. Although Forever My Girl had its cheesy moments, the characters were fall-in-love worthy and the humor was refreshing.In the end, Forever My Girl was one step away from another Hallmark movie, but the unique punchlines and witty characters kept the audience entertained. The varying reviews between critics and romance lovers makes Forever My Girl for no other reason besides the perfect movie for a rainy day.
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