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Blu-ray Review: LOVE AGAIN

Jul 25, 2023 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

It’s been two years since Mira Ray’s (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) boyfriend passed away, but she is still grieving. She’s a talented children’s book writer/illustrator, but hasn’t written anything since the accident, and her publisher is starting to get impatient. She moves back to the city with her sister, Suzy (Sofia Barclay), and starts texting her innermost romantic thoughts to her deceased boyfriend’s old phone number as a way to try to finally move on. But Mira is unaware that this number now belongs to New York Chronicle music critic Rob Burns (Sam Heughan). Rob had also given up on love, ever since his fiancée dumped him the week before his wedding. However, when Rob starts to see Mira’s texts, something awakens in him, and he starts to feel a deep connection to Mira. So he sets out to figure out who this person is and try to meet her in person. But after doing so, and the more of a connection they form, the less he knows how to reveal to her the truth about how he found her, since it could bring their budding romance to a crashing halt.

Love Again is based off of German film SMS für Dich (Text for You), but has been given a more American twist. The movie is pretty much your typical rom-com fare, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing—I’m a huge fan of romantic comedies. Added into the usual rom-com mix is music superstar Céline Dion, playing a heightened version of herself. Rob has been assigned to do an in-depth story on the singer, but when they first meet, she can tell that he doesn’t connect with her music, and informs him that he knows nothing about love. She then serves as kind of his guru and sounding board as he tries to figure out how to meet Mira in person. Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan have amazing chemistry, and make these characters really feel like they are destined for one another. There are sweet moments between the two, but also many moments to make you laugh out loud. Early on when Suzy is trying to get Mira to date again, there’s a humorous sequence with Mira meeting blind date Joel (real life husband Nick Jonas) at a bar, only to discover that’s he’s a fitness-obsessed jock who loves himself more than anything else.

The film has an amazing supporting cast. Sofia Barclay (Ted Lasso, We Are Lady Parts) is so delightful and funny as Mira’s uber-supportive sister Suzy. Russell Tovey (American Horror Story, Quantico), Lydia West (It’s a Sin, Years and Years) & Steve Oram (DI Ray) are hilarious as Rob’s co-workers Billy & Lisa and “angry” boss Richard. There’s a fun scene as Rob (channeling his best Hugh Grant) is awkwardly trying to set up a first real date with Mira over the phone, as Rob’s coworkers listen on with horror, and Mira’s sister listens on with joy, just happy that Mira is finally putting herself out there again.

Sony has released Love Again on Blu-ray & DVD, but the film is also available in 4K on Digital. I was sent the Blu-ray for review, which features a very clean, clear picture with a solid level of detail—I didn’t really notice any imperfections. The disc’s audio track also really shines, providing clear dialogue throughout, as well as an excellent soundtrack that features five brand new songs from Céline Dion, as well as clips from or characters singing many of the five-time Grammy winner’s big hits. This makes a really wonderful accompaniment to this sweet and funny romantic comedy.

The Blu-ray disc comes in a standard HD keepcase, placed inside a glossy cardboard slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem an HD digital copy of the film. The bonus material consists of an 8-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast/crew, and 6 deleted scenes.



What’s Included:

Film: (1:44:22)

Available for Amazon Prime