[Review] The Broken Hearts Gallery(2020) {6.5/10}

Written and Directed by Natalie Krinsky, the film stars Geraldine Viswanathan (Lucy Gulliver), Dacre Montgomery (Nick), Utkarsh Ambudkar (Max Vora), Molly Gordon (Amanda), Phillipa Soo (Nadine) and Bernadette Peters (Eva Woolf).

The plot follows Lucy Gulliver (Geraldine Viswanathan) who gets dumped by her latest boyfriend Max (Utkarsh Ambudkar) and fired from her gallery assistant job on the same night. She creates an art gallery to display items from people's previous relationships.

The Broken Hearts Gallery serves as Krinsky's directorial debut. What really makes The Broken Hearts Gallery worth watching, is the two leads: Viswanathan's Lucy and Montgomery's Nick. The young stars have the sizzling chemistry needed to make the movie sparkle. Viswanathan has a bubbly and magnetic charm as Lucy, who wears her heart on her sleeve and is all the more endearing for it. Meanwhile, the way Montgomery's Nick looks at Lucy will make even the most cold-hearted viewers swoon. As a pair, Viswanathan and Montgomery are rock-solid romance leads, but The Broken Hearts Gallery also boasts a perfectly cast supporting roster, with Gordon and Soo bringing plenty of humor as the best friends. In this rom-com, the romance proves as corny as it is predictable and the comedy clings to verbal banter rather than from anything having do with keen observation.

For anyone not in the very specific demographic group depicted, the experience of watching this is like being trapped in a tiny downtown club, where the food isn't that good and the portions are tiny. There’s comic relief and support from the lead’s loyal girlfriends. It works as a familiar and safe rom-com, and adds likable characters and a pleasant story. It’s something you can always catch on TV, and if you miss you can say "who cares".

The Broken Hearts Gallery is now available on Digital and Blu-ray.