Rye Lane(2023)
PG-13 ‧ Romantic Comedy ‧ 1 Hours 22 Minutes
Written by Nathan Byron and Tom Melia
Directed by Raine Allen-Miller
THE CAST
Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson
THE STORY
(In their own words). Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson), two twenty-somethings both reeling from bad break-ups, connect over the course of an eventful day in South London – helping each other deal with their nightmare exes, and potentially restoring their faith in romance.
THE BEST
The BEST things about the film
- Moment of Brilliance – The karaoke scene in this film where Yas and Dom sing Salt And Peppa’s Shoop together….is probably my single favorite scene of the last year. It’s an absolutely adorable scene that makes the movie for me.
- The Creativity – This film elevates a seemingly simple romcom to a work of art through a bold color pallet, fun cinematography, and very clever writing. Interesting movies are less about the story they are telling and more about how they tell the story. This story is told in a very creative and wonderful way.
- The humor – It’s a very funny romcom. The writing is clever, the actors delivery honest and fun performances that fit into this comedic world.
- Black Excellence – I don’t even want to talk about it because it really doesn’t have much to do with the film…but I feel like I would be remiss to not mention all the Black excellence in this film. This is a Black love story. It is full of wonderfully written Black characters, written by at least one Black Writer, Nathan Byron. To be honest, I couldn’t figure out if Tom Melia was Black as well (it’s very hard to find pictures of writers). The director, Raine Allen-Miller, is Black and is making an outstanding feature debut with this film. From head to toe, this film is pouring with Black excellence.
THE WORST
The WORST things about the film
- While it is a super creative film, it does fall into the traps of many romcoms in making a clumsy ending wrap up the story.
THE COMMENTS
While it is a romantic comedy, a big part of me want to tell you that this is a film about healing. I was once told that a breakup is kind of like a death. There is normally grieving from at least one party and it can be really difficult to learn how to move forward from after this change in your life. I think this film does a great job of exploring how these characters try to cope after a break up.
THE LESSON
Breakups are hard. How you react to a breakup doesn’t necessarily define you as a person.
IS IT REWATCHABLE
Yes
THE FINAL WORD
Rye Lane is a very special film. It is a very creative, British romantic comedy film that takes us through the lives of two people trying to process their recent breakups. The film features some wonderful writing, cinematography, and acting. It contains possibly my single favorite scene of the last year or so. Featuring a mostly Black cast, this film shows some wonderful promise from first time director Raine Allen-Miller.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Rye Lane gets a very strong Like It.
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming exclusively on Hulu
THE TRAILER
THE MEME REVIEW
