“There are two ways to live,” says teenager Chris Gregory. “As if everything is a miracle, or as if nothing is. I prefer the former.”
It’s easy (and advisable) to go along with the premise of Lance Hool’s “meet cute” romance “2 Hearts,” which introduces two amusing and believable couples about 20 years apart, who only come together at the end.
But this is more than a typical rom-com. It’s also a meditation on community, positivity, friendship and generosity.
Chris (Jacob Elordi) is a typical American teen who loves a pick-up basketball game and can’t wait to get to college. He ends up at Loyola, where one day he sees Sam (Tiera Scorbye) – whom he calls “The Girl” – as he leaves a class and she arrives for the next one. Chris will tell his brother that she is “the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” This will be the start of Something Big.
Chris next sees Sam will setting up a campus “Safety Buddy” operation to drive tipsy students home safely. He offers a tip on publicity, and – goes what? – will end up working with her in this good deed.
Something similar happens to Jorge Bolivar (Adan Canto) – the son of a Cuban rum king – when he meets his ideal girl Leslie (Radha Mitchell) in the uniform of a Pan Am flight attendant. Jorge is on the way to Miami for business, but will manage to cleverly “bump into” Leslie in airports and other destinations as well, until they finally admit their mutual attraction and get married.
Based on a true story (the book “All My Tomorrows” by Eric Gregory), writers Veronica Hool and Robin U. Russin give us engaging characters, often clever dialogue, and a story that jumps back and forth between the couples in a way that somehow seems flowing rather than disjointed. You may be able to guess the ending, but the film is a neat trick anyway, nicely pulled off.
“2 Hearts” would be a welcome film anytime, but in the insanity of current politics and the horror of the pandemic, any evidence of humanity has to be considered a major plus.
“2 Hearts” is in theaters on October 16.
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