Hotel Mediocrity
Another week rolls round and another romcom washes up on the shores of Netflix’s revolving carousel of thumbnails. This week’s contender is Resort to Love, a film that has some nice ideas but never quite fleshes them out into something that leaves a lasting impression when the final credits roll. Despite some genuinely funny jokes early on and a promising (albeit very shaky and logic-defying) set-up, Resort to Love loses sight and direction, turning into a one-note romcom about finding closure while hurrying through the more important parts of this movie. At the center of this conflict sits Erica. Wed to be married, Jason leaves her a month before the big day and breaks her heart. Moving to Charleston, Jason ends up engaged to a new girl called Beverly. Fast forward a year and as Jason preps for his big day, Erica is given an unmissable opportunity to work as a wedding singer at a luxury resort. Only, there’s a problem. Erica is roped into singing at his wedding and has no idea he’s due to be engaged. Yes, despite mentioning how she dives into social media, she has no clue about the pair’s wedding and not once has dived into Jason’s social channels to take a sneaky peek. Awkwardness inevitably ensues from here, leading to a love triangle of sorts brewing between Erica, her ex Jason and his brother, Caleb. How has she never met Caleb before? And how is this even a choice? She was with Jason for years and the fact she’s never even seen a picture of his brother is a whole ‘nother kettle of fish to explore. But Resort to Love is not interested in exploring any of this. Instead, it rockets through the logic-defying story to proudly flaunt two misunderstanding tropes shoveled in along with a whole host of cheesiness. There’s also plenty of musical numbers too to chew away at the run-time too. As far as romcoms go, this is pretty run-of-the-mill but the movie’s themes sometimes clash and contradict with what’s trying to be told here. It’s clear that the message is on closure, and in particular forgiving your ex and moving on with your life. It’s an empowering message, one that reinforces the strong female archetype. That is, until the film reaches its climax and that message is thrown out in favour of finding happiness with a man. Maybe it’s just my interpretation but it definitely devalues the film’s climax. While the main quartet at the center of this have a pretty good arc, every single supporting character here is a paper-thin one-note caricature. There’s barely any depth to anyone outside this couple and it only reinforces how forgettable this picture is. The other problem with Resort to Love comes from its aesthetic. There are a lot of musical numbers in this, with one even taking a hefty 3 minutes off the run-time. The cynic in me thinks this is a way of plugging Christina Milian’s singing, which impressively dates way back to over 21 years ago. The moviegoer in me though just wanted the film to get on with it. These numbers add nothing to the story, beyond one amusing rendition early on and the final wedding song; everything in between feels like filler. If you can switch your brain off and ignore the numerous plot holes, Resort to Love does have a few stand-out moments. It’s nowhere near the highs of fellow resort romcom Forgetting Sarah Marshall but it’s also not a complete disaster either. If you’re a fan of romcoms this one may be worth checking out but with so many other offerings in the genre, this one pales by comparison.
