THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY – A Review by Cynthia Flores
I had a lot of hope for this film going into it. The trailer is fun. It’s set in pre-COVID New York City. It’s cool to see the actor Dacre Montgomery playing the romantic lead. He completely erases any memories of him as bad guy Billy Hargrove in Netflix’s series Stranger Things. I was also looking forward to seeing Geraldine Viswanathan take on a light-hearted rom-com after nailing the dramatic lead in the Apple TV 2019 film Hala. She had already proven she could handle R-rated comedy in her scene-stealing role in the 2018 hit Blockers.
So, even though she doesn’t meet the romcom beauty standards of a Kathrine Heigl or Julia Roberts. She does have the comedic charisma of a young Mindy Kaling. It’s an excellent choice to put a regular looking funny girl in the lead of this PG-13 rom-com. It’s too bad that Viswanathan lacks the sizzle and sex appeal needed for a film about romance.
The Broken Hearts Gallery has a solid rom-com framework. It follows the always unique Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan), a twenty-six-year-old art gallery assistant to the spectacular Eva Woolf (Bernadette Peters). Lucy lives in New York City and also happens to be an emotional hoarder. She has saved a souvenir (or piece of trash) from every relationship she’s ever been in. Making her room look way past messy. After she gets dumped by her latest boyfriend, Max (Utkarsh Ambudkar), Lucy is inspired to create The Broken Heart Gallery at the under-renovation Hotel Chloe. It’s owned by her newfound friend Nick (Dacre Montgomery), who is attracted to the broken-hearted Lucy. He’s embraced by her childhood friends and now roommates Nadine (Phillipa Soo) and Amanda (Molly Gordon). Nick lets Lucy start this pop-up space for the items love has left behind. Word of the gallery spreads. Encouraging a movement and a fresh start for all the romantics out there, including Lucy herself.
The film has all the right elements to be a great rom-com. Viswanathan is near the character age and knows how to handle the witty script that writer/director Natalies Krinsky gave her in this her directorial debut. And shines in the ensemble work with her best friends in the film. In fact, my favorite parts of the film were the scenes that she spent with just her roommates. However, and I don’t know if this is on her or the director, but the romantic relationships she had with men in the film just go flat. Since this is a rom-com and not a buddy film, that’s a big deal.
I give The Broken Hearts Gallery a 3-star rating. It’s a cute film that could have been a memorable one.
Directed by: Natalie Krinsky
Written by: Natalie Krinsky
Rated PG-13
Selig Rating 3 Stars
Running Time: 1hr 48min
Comedy / Romance
Wide Release: September 11th
Starring: Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar. Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
