Sylvie’s Love’s charm overcomes its lackluster plot
As far as romances go, Sylvie’s Love is not a movie that’s doing anything particularly groundbreaking. A stoic man and a timid lady fall in love in spite of the woman already being taken is the same plot of hundreds of love stories. What sets Sylvie’s Love apart is that it draws from an old style of romance movies made in the 1940s and 50s. There has never been a romance movie of this style done between two black people as far as I know. When the films that Sylvie’s Love is harkening back to were coming out, there were hardly any black people on film period, let alone a love story.
The only thing that really needs to work in this movie works: The leads have incredible chemistry. It’s a love at first sight kind of story and it lacks any of the nuances of an actual relationship, but the actors are playing it so well you believe in their romance anyway. This is a movie that exhibits Tessa Thompson’s range as an actress. I’ve only ever seen her play characters with a certain brashness and attitude to them and in this film she is the complete opposite. Quiet and subdued but strong when she needs to be, Sylvie is a well-written character and Thompson completely embodies the role. Former football player turned actor Nnamdi Asomugha (who also produced this movie) did a great job as her love interest, Robert, a struggling jazz musician who continually struggles to keep his career and his romance with Sylvie afloat. I can’t wait to see Asomugha in more movies. Their love story is soundtracked to the music of black artists of the time like Jackie Wilson and The Drifters, which I thought was a nice touch.
The problem with Sylvie’s Love is that the romance is the only exciting thing about the movie. The places the plot goes is about as typical as it gets. You’ve seen them in every other romantic movie. The obligatory rival love interest, the job promotions that get in the way of the relationships, the best friend that seems to only exist to give timely relationship advice. It’s all here and as cliche as ever. After the first 30 minutes, most viewers could pretty accurately guess how the other hour and a half will go. I found the subplot involving Sylvie’s husband especially frustrating. He’s given so little screentime that his presence in the film hardly matters, yet the film acts like her infidelity is a major part of the story. The same goes for Robert’s “other woman” Connie, who only appears when the plot demands (meaning conveniently just in time for Sylvie to be in her feelings about it for a minute and a half.) Plenty of romance movies have other love interests involved but what makes them interesting is when they are fully fleshed out characters that impact the story. As for this movie, if the other love interests disappeared the story would essentially be the same if not better.
While the movie moves at a pretty good pace throughout most of it, the third act feels incredibly rushed. It’s like the writer tried to squeeze 30 minutes’ worth of story into 10. The result is a rushed melodramatic finish that feels like it belongs in a daytime soap opera. The only thing stopping it from being completely over the top is the performances of the actors.
All that being said, there’s always an audience of people who just want to sit down, sip some wine, and watch two hot people fall in love in an idealized picture of the past. And if that’s the goal, Sylvie’s Love is just your speed. Despite the lackluster plot, the actors keep this movie at least somewhat entertaining to watch.
