‘Lonely Planet’ Isn’t Perfect, But At Least It Offers Some Hope For Age-Gap Romances
HuffPost
Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth fall in love in Morocco in this new Netflix film.
Watching a good rom-com should be like “finding hope in a big mess.” In “Lonely Planet,” Netflix’s latest romance, 30-something Owen Brophy (Liam Hemsworth) believes the same sentiment applies to his Moroccan tryst with 50-something Elizabeth Lowe (Laura Dern). Within this paradigm, romance is supposed to be the antidote to the complicated realities of life; however, like with love, the fantasy of what could be does not often match reality as is.
The reality is that these days, rom-coms themselves are often more messy than hopeful. And they aren’t the endearing kind of mess that makes a leading love interest more relatable or a fated relationship feel more attainable.
Instead, the genre is muddled with low-budget, underwritten cable clichés (Hallmark’s new lineup of holiday movies will begin to air this week) and higher-budget, overproduced stories that just aren’t that good. Some of this year’s biggest rom-coms in the latter category have also featured an age gap, like Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine in their underwhelming adaptation of “The Idea of You” for Prime Video and Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron in their generic Netflix film “A Family Affair.”
While Dern and Hemsworth are the latest big names to join this trend, their movie stands out as the best of streaming’s recent age-gap romances because it engenders more hope than mess (even though it’s definitely still a little messy).
The film, written and directed by Susannah Grant, takes place during an international writer’s retreat outside Marrakech at a stunning hotel with picturesque patios overlooking the Atlas Mountains. Elizabeth, a best-selling novelist in an undefined genre, arrives for the retreat post-breakup and on deadline. Owen, a finance bro, is present as a plus one. His girlfriend, Lily Kemp (Diana Silvers), is a new writer whose first book, a “glorified beach read,” hit the bestseller list and catapulted her career to a level that led to her invitation to this retreat, and she’s still green enough to bring her boyfriend along.
The late night host summed up how the president's Cabinet is "crushing" it in his second term.
The "Late Show" host broke down how the president's polling has gone totally "underwater."
BD Wong called his comment a "very bad joke" and admitted it was unacceptable for him to try and "explain" away his offensive remark.
"I want to turn you out," the singer reads from one email in Netflix's "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" docuseries.
Cyrus and Morando were first romantically linked in the media in late 2021.
Meanwhile, a Miss Universe judge stepped down, claiming that people who were not on the jury held a "secret vote."
Here are all of Hulu’s biggest upcoming releases.
The "Late Show" host had a little advice about a "benefit" for the president.
The actor said a "weird" first date faux pas left Jost raising an eyebrow.
The late night host poked at one of the president's sore spots on Monday night.
The "Daily Show" host isn't buying the president's comment about his MRI.
"I refuse to acknowledge that these people have died in vain," the pop star wrote on Instagram.
The reality star also revealed how she became "more intentional" before welcoming her daughter, Penelope.