As rom-coms go, Finding You hits all the right beats. It’s predictable and cute. Funny when it needs to be. And soul-searching when things go sour. But what gives this little indie juice is the heart-warming locale and an offbeat hero.
Violinist Finley Sinclair (Rose Reid) struggles with a botched audition at Manhattan’s prestigious music conservatory. Predictably, she needs ‘that something extra’ she can’t seem to dig out of herself while in the Big Apple. What to do? Tap into her Irish family roots for inspiration and ego repair. It worked for her older brother Alex, who recently passed away.
On the plane, Finley is bumped up to a first-class seat next to smug but adorable megawatt movie star Beckett Rush (Jedidiah Goodacre). His disarming smile, loose, boy-band hair, and charms fail to impress.
Arriving at the Callaghans, in the quaint seaside hamlet of Carlingford, Finely is put up in their B&B, where, you guessed it, Beckett, is also a guest. “It’s nice and out of the way from my many fans,” says Beckett. Nora (Fiona Bell) and Sean (Ciaran McMahon) are delighted to host Beckett. Their teen daughter Emma (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) does backflips every time Beckett smiles at her.
The cliched town inebriate, Seamus (Patrick Bergin) is no stranger to a violin and draws Finley’s interest with some rousing skillful play. Contributing a bit of feel-good to the film’s center is Cathleen (Vanessa Redgrave), a grumpy nursing-home patient struggling to make things right with her estranged sister Fiona (Helen Roche).
Adding a bit of sympathy to Beckett’s seemingly perfect life is the pressure to sign a multi-film deal with the dragon film franchise. The move will secure his future but Beckett is convinced it will rob him of his true identity and further distance him from Finely. Pressure mounts from his manipulative father Montgomery (Tom Everett Scott) to sign the deal, cut Finely loose, and connect more with his co-star Taylor.
Adapted from Jenny B. Jones’ novel, Finding You is wholesome, romantic, and idyllically Irish. The budding Finely-Beckett romance is strictly G-rated with cute scenes like a playful sequence with stunt harnesses on set and an innocent first kiss.
Like a Lifetime movie, some of the dialog is on the nose and the story beats are predictable. The love conquers all ending is someone clichéd and hard to swallow. But then again, Finding You is pure romantic escapism for those who wear their heart on their sleeve.
Heartwarming montages allow us to share Finley and Beckett’s visit to several tourist destinations. The cinematography is heightened thanks to sweeping drone shots over Carlingford, lush green Irish landscapes, and the Cliffs of Moher.
Finding You is available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital) and DVD
Images courtesy of Lionsgate.
Alex A. Kecskes is a published author of "Healer a Novel" and "The Search for Dr. Noble"—both now available on Amazon. He has written hundreds of film reviews and celebrity interviews for a wide variety of online and print outlets. He has covered red carpet premieres and Comic-Con events for major films and independent releases.
