The For Dummies book series has provided easy to follow steps for anyone to learn about any number of topics for three decades. Some might deride the books – and those who use them – due to the chosen. But I’m sure they’ve proven immensely helpful for countless people. At Midnight feels like someone had just read Writing a Romantic Comedy for Dummies and put all their fresh perspective to immediate use. And just to be clear, I don’t mean this as an insult. If there was any genre this would not be an insult to, it’s the rom-com.
If I’ve said it before, I’ve said it a thousand times: the romantic comedy is a comfort genre. Sure, there are some variations on it. The Big Sick adds in some great dramatic themes. Palm Springs goes the fantasy/time loop route with some existentialism mixed in for good measure. Forgetting Sarah Marshall puts the comedy at the forefront, with the romance more a supporting player. The list goes on, you get the idea.
But when a movie goes down the “traditional” rom-com route, you know exactly what you’re in for. Audiences can predict the movie beat by beat, scene by scene. And there’s nothing wrong with that; I love it. It limits the movie’s ceiling, but it can provide a pretty stable floor. And that’s exactly where At Midnight fits in. It’s cute and cozy. Funny at times, but never hilarious. Solid acting, but nothing that will blow you away. The ex that’s easy to hate so you want to root for the “new” couple. And there’s great chemistry between said new couple. It hits it all.
Monica Barbaro is our lead, actress Sophie Wilder. She is about to finish filming her superhero movie, Super Society 3, alongside her boyfriend and costar Adam Clark (Anders Holm). But one day on set, Sophie catches Adam cheating and breaks up with him. However, on the advice of her agent Margot (Whitney Cummings) and manager Chris (Casey Thomas Brown) the two keep the breakup a secret, at least until the movie finishes filming and Sophie secures a spin-off movie for her character.
Those plans are thrown for a loop, though, when they head to Mexico to finish filming and Sophie meets hotel junior manager Alejandro (Diego Boneta). There is an instant connection between the two (starting with an awkward meet-cute, of course; another check on the rom-com to-do list) as the sparks fly instantly. Sophie and Alejandro continue hanging out, growing closer by the day.
At Midnight is as pure a romantic comedy as you’re going to find these days. It doesn’t try to add anything extra, doesn’t try to throw you for a loop. It’s just good, clean comfort food. The risk here, though, is there is very little room for error. But it clears those benchmarks, making for an easy watch. Most of that comes from the work of Barbaro and Boneta. They have an easy, natural chemistry that you need of your leads. They don’t do much to elevate the material – though they each have a couple moments where they out-act what the script was giving them – but they do exactly what they need to do.
On top of that, At Midnight creates such an inviting atmosphere that you can’t help but be drawn in. The beautiful Mexican setting plays as another character in the story. The supporting cast doesn’t get a whole lot to do, but they’re charming enough too. No one strained any brain cells coming up with the story, but that again is part of the beauty of the genre. You don’t need a complicated set up. Just let the story be what it is.
At Midnight won’t convert anyone who isn’t typically a romantic comedy fan. And I doubt it will jump to the top of too many favorites lists. But the warm feeling and overall charm make for a fine movie. You can simply sit there and get absorbed in watching people fall in love. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.
Score: 61/100
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