'The Broken Hearts Gallery' is a typical rom-com, telling the story of a young woman, Lucy, living in New York and pursuing her passion for working as an art gallery assistant. We follow Lucy and discover her affinity for keeping items from past failed relationships as mementos of those encounters.
The story follows Lucy, a unique and quirky 20-something year old who lives with her two friends - Nadine and Amanda. The trio are shown as a close-knit group, sharing in each others personal lives and musing about past and current relationships.
On the outset, Lucy is with Max, a mature and successful art gallery director. After discovering he is seeing another woman, we witness Lucy fall apart, get into a strangers car who she mistakes for her Lyft driver and have an emotional breakdown in front of him. The driver, Nick, is kind enough to take her home and brushes off the chance encounter. Some time later the two meet again and we discover Nick is working towards opening his own hotel, renovating a run-down building in hopes of creating a unique venue in the city. On a whim Lucy sets out Max's tie in Nick's hotel and inadvertently creates an 'exhibit' of her failed relationship. Soon after the idea of creating a gallery containing mementos of peoples past relationships is born and we get to witness how both the gallery and Lucy and Nick's relationship develop.
'The Broken Heats Gallery' serves well as a feel-good flick to be enjoyed if you're in need of an easy-going and uncomplicated entertainment. In terms of the story, the film is not ground-breaking. The narrative follows a paint-by-the-numbers schematic of a romantic comedy, offering no revolutionary twists or turns in its storytelling.
The main message of the film is contained within the multitude of trinkets we get to see people talk about throughout the film, conveying that holing on to the past can prevent an individual from truly moving on, and in order to grow and become a fully realised, and perhaps a better version of yourself, you have to let go of the memento. 'The Broken Hearts Gallery' goes a step further and enhances its message by emphasizing that letting go of the past does not necessarily mean completely shutting it out, rather remembering and learning from those past relationships and letting them serve as life-changing experiences.
The main character, portrayed by Geraldine Viswanathan, is a zany girl working her way through life as an emotionally open person, not shy of expressing her feelings when times get tough. On the outset Viswanathan may feel like a lot to take in, as the at times fast-paced back and forth amongst the characters does not allow for enough breathing room to take in and appreciate the character and her motivations.
Dacre Montgomery portrays Nick, Lucy's emotional opposite, - a reserved and private individual, rarely letting the audience know how he feels. As it is a rom-com, it is evident on the outset that the two characters will end up together, yet even with that notion in mind, the viewer may expect the turning point in the film, where it becomes painfully obvious the two are meant to be together. However, 'The Broken Hearts Gallery' fails to deliver on that turning point, as Viswanathan and Montgomery do not seem to blend well together.
'The Broken Hearts Gallery' delivers exactly what is written on the package - a feel-good flick with an interesting premise, yet not straying too far from what can now be considered a blueprint form of romantic comedies. However the writing for the film seems to work against itself at times, as the viewer is at times pummelled with quippy dialogue and provides no time to take in and appreciate the jokes. Alternatively, the film has moments where the pacing is slow and creates awkward moments between the actors, creating a perhaps unintended sense of animosity amongst the characters.
'The Broken Hearts Gallery' is a run-of-the-mill love story, yet it lacks in any noteworthy characters or events to become memorable. At times, the dialogue feels forced, as if all the actors for the film were requested to be the 'funny one', rendering a delivery of exchanges where all the parties involved are trying to outshine one another, yet failing to do so. Additionally, the budding romance between Lucy and Nick falls flat on too many occasions to create any lasting impact on the viewer, rendering their story one to be watched once and forgotten soon after.
Score: 1/4
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