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Choose Love (film)

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Choose Love
Directed byStuart McDonald
Screenplay byJosann McGibbon
Produced by
  • Robyn Snyder
  • Deborah Evans
  • Mel Turner
  • Axel Paton
Starring
CinematographyToby Oliver
Edited by
Music byGabriel Mann
Production
companies
  • DAE Light Media
  • Front Row Films
  • Netflix Studios
Distributed byNetflix
Running time
77 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Choose Love is a 2023 interactive romantic comedy film on streaming service Netflix. Viewers make choices for the main character Cami, played by Laura Marano, as she questions her relationship with her partner Paul when two other men enter her life. It was released on August 31, 2023.

Description

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Cami's happy relationship with her boyfriend Paul is disrupted when two other men enter her life: her first partner Jack and British rock star Rex.[2] Viewers are given choices for Cami to make, which affect the future of the story. For example, on the first such occasion, Cami is getting a tarot card reading, and the audience is to choose whether she wants to hear the 'good news' or 'bad news' first.[1] The choices are sometimes initiated by Cami's breaking the fourth wall to directly address the audience.[3][4] The film is designed such that, after making a choice and seeing the result, the audience may go back and make a different choice, yielding a different result.[1][3]

The film has six possible endings that branch from viewer decisions:[5][6][7]

  • Cami decides not to pursue either Jack or Rex and returns to Paul; the two get engaged.
  • Cami ends up with Jack.
  • Cami breaks up with Jack; Paul appears and proposes to Cami. She then refuses his proposal, remaining single.
  • Cami breaks up with Jack, then accepts Paul's proposal, and the two get married in Las Vegas.
  • Cami ends up with Rex in Paris.
  • Cami breaks up with Rex, remaining single.

Cast

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Production

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In March 2022, it was announced that Robyn Snyder, Deborah Evans, Mel Turner, and Axel Paton would produce the picture. It is written by Josann McGibbon, with Stuart McDonald directing.[10]

Casting

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In March 2022, the cast was announced.[11]

Filming

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Filming primarily took place in May 2022 in and around Auckland, New Zealand.[12]

Release

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The film was released on Netflix on August 31, 2023.[8]

Reception

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Choose Love received generally negative reviews from critics. Claire Shaffer wrote for The New York Times that, unlike other interactive films whose "unpredictability [...] kept the gimmick somewhat afloat", the film was "a series of disconnected, shallow interactions, each leading to a different predetermined cliché."[1] Liz Kocan wrote for Decider that the otherwise-likeable character design suffered from the interactivity.[13] Brian Lowry wrote for CNN that the film "strains the storytelling to fit the gimmick" and demonstrates that interactive films, "while theoretically intriguing, seldom match the appeal of a well-told story."[3] Courtney Howard wrote for Variety that the setting was "difficult to be fully immersed in" and that the "[m]en are one-dimensional at best, used solely to further [Cami's] arc."[4] Linda Holmes wrote for NPR, "You pick the ending you want, and it gives it to you." as a critique of the film, which she compared to AI-generated content.[14] Adrian Horton, writing for The Guardian, criticized the "flatly lit and oversaturated style" and "overdrawn acting and stakes-less swooning", also calling the film "another poor conclusion of algorithmic content" and saying that it has contributed to the "oppression of choice" present in such media, but praised it "for entertaining the prospect of a female protagonist ultimately choosing to go solo".[15] Lydia Venn writing for Cosmopolitan[6] and Pratik Handore writing for The Cinemaholic[7] both also praised the endings where Cami chooses to be single, calling them "empowering".

Several critics compared Choose Love's interactivity to that of the films Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) – also from Netflix[1][3][4][14][15] – and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend (2020).[1][3][4]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a score of 35% from 17 critics, with an average rating of 4.9/10.[16] Metacritic considers its weighted average score of 35% from 8 critics "generally unfavorable".[17]

Accolades

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Organization Year Category Result Ref.
26th Family Film and TV Awards 2024 Best Family Film (Television) Nominated [18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Shaffer, Claire (August 31, 2023). "'Choose Love' Review: Pick Your Own Cliché". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Purves, Robbie (August 1, 2023). "Netflix to launch first ever interactive romcom Choose Love where viewers can decide ending". Wales Online. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Lowry, Brian (August 31, 2023). "'Choose Love' gives the rom-com a strained interactive twist". CNN. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Howard, Courtney (August 31, 2023). "'Choose Love' Review: Netflix's First Interactive Rom-Com Promises Fun, But Ends in Frustration". Variety. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Silva, Gabriela (August 31, 2023). "Choose Love endings explained: How many are there?". Dexerto. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023. In the end the Choose Love endings include Rex and Cami in Paris, Rex and Cami as friends, Cami marrying Paul in Vegas or proposing at home, Cami kissing Jack, or Cami deciding to be single.
  6. ^ a b Venn, Lydia (September 1, 2023). "How can you make Cami choose herself in Netflix's Choose Love?". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Handore, Pratik (August 31, 2023). "Choose Love Ending, Explained: Who Does Cami End Up With?". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Ostby, Ingrid (August 22, 2023). "'Choose Love': What to Know About Netflix's First Interactive Rom-Com". Tudum. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "Watch Choose Love | Netflix Official Site". Netflix. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys (March 30, 2022). "Netflix Sets Interactive Romantic Comedy 'Choose Love,' Laura Marano to Lead". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  11. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 30, 2022). "Netflix Orders Interactive Rom-Com 'Choose Love' From Josann McGibbon". Variety. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Simich, Ricardo (May 7, 2022). "Spy: From Kiwi boyband to Netflix rom-com star". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Kocan, Liz (August 31, 2023). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Choose Love' on Netflix, The Streamer's First "Choose Your Own Romance" Interactive Movie | Decider". Decider. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Holmes, Linda (September 2, 2023). "Interactive romcom 'Choose Love' makes the case against AI writing : NPR". NPR. Archived from the original on September 9, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Horton, Adrian (August 31, 2023). "Choose Love review – interactive Netflix romcom is a gimmick too far". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  16. ^ "Choose Love - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  17. ^ "Choose Love - Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  18. ^ Rice, Lynette (December 28, 2023). "CBS Reveals Nominations, Hosts For Family Film And TV Awards In January". Deadline. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
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