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)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, French, Korean, Spanish, Thai
- HD digital copy of the film, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu
- Finding Love Again (8:40)
The cast and filmmakers talk about adapting the original German film, casting the movie, the tone and characters, working with the actors and Céline Dion, filming in London for NYC, working with the director, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with screenwriter/director Jim Strouse, producer Esther Hornstein, and stars Sam Heughan (“Rob Burns”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (“Mira Ray”), Russell Tovey (“Billy Brooks”), Lydia West (“Lisa Scott”), Sofia Barclay (“Suzy Roy”) & Nick Jonas (“Joel”). - Deleted Scenes (8:04)
Collection of 6 deleted/extended scenes. Play All, or select from:- Parents (:57)
Mira walks in on her parents in bed together, and decides to head back to the city. - Right on Time (1:23)
Rob gets to the office late, and is confronted by his coworkers. - Meaningless (1:13)
Mira and her sister meet for coffee, where Mira expresses guilt over possibly hooking up with someone other than her deceased boyfriend. - My Favorite (1:23)
Mira and Rob are enjoying a walk in Central Park at night, where Rob buys her some Tropical Skittles, Mira’s favorite. - You’d Like Him (1:46)
Rob dances as he gets changed for his date, and sees that Mira has texted compliments about him to John’s phone number. - It’s A Flavor (1:44)
Rob and Mira cook a dinner-in-a-box together, while subtlety discussing Mira’s fear of moving on.
- Parents (:57)
- Previews (11:55)
Trailers for Where the Crawdads Sing (2:27), A Man Called Otto (2:33), A Journal For Jordan (2:21), Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (1:58), and No Hard Feelings (2:33) play back-to-back.
-
Blu-ray:
Digital (Limited time offer):
Extras:
Final Thoughts:
Love Again is a fun and delightful romantic comedy that will have you laughing, singing along, and even shedding some tears of joy. I first saw this in the theater, but enjoyed it all over again the second time around on this Blu-ray. The main and supporting cast are wonderful, and have excellent chemistry with one another, and Céline Dion is a lot of fun in her first film role as herself. Sony’s Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and includes a small but entertaining assortment of bonus material. This is an easy recommendation for any rom-com or Céline Dion fans, or fans of the cast. This one will definitely make my regular rotation of rom-coms.
Love Again [Blu-ray]
54% Off $38.99 $13.73 (as of May 3, 2024 12:06 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Love Again [DVD]
52% Off $34.99 $16.89 (as of May 3, 2024 12:06 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Love Again
$3.89 (as of May 3, 2024 12:06 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
