When something is billed as “Notting Hill”-esque, I have to admit that I will be the first person to watch it. There is something about that movie that is timeless and sticks with a person. It makes an impression.
In a world of reboots, you never know what you are going to get and diving into Finding You, I had no idea what I was going to get. It was pitched as “Notting Hill for millennials” but I will tell you that it was definitely not that.
And that’s not a bad thing at all.
If you haven’t heard of Finding You, it’s about a violin player, Finley, who after a bad audition, heads to Ireland to study abroad. Only on her way over there starts a series of events that will inevitably change her life.
In Ireland, she is staying with the same host family that her brother did. They have taken on running a B&B, where international superstar Beckett Rush is staying while he films the next installment of his movie franchise.
Beckett wants to be under the radar, but Finley just wants nothing to do with him. She finds him annoying and he finds her intriguing. It’s the perfect setup to the start of the inevitable romance where there will be something that goes wrong and the two will not see each other for the lives that they have, but inevitably influence each other to the lives they were destined to have.
Beckett is a teen heartthrob who feels that he’s never been asked what he wants to do. He’s not sure that this is the life that he wants to live, but feels trapped. He likes being around people who are “normal” – whatever you want to take that word as meaning. His life in the press is contrived by his manager, who we should mention is also his father, and his wishes are not listened to. Person after person spends their time manipulating Beckett to do their bidding.
Except Finley. She’s entranced by the actor, but annoyed with the person that he is. She is stand offish, arrogant to a point and feels a little lost. But isn’t that where the best love stories start; in a coming of age story that has the characters figuring out who they are and what they want.
Beckett seems to feel challenged by Finley and when they both need to get out of their own head, they find hope and a new way of thinking that will lead them to challenge the things that have been set in motion for their lives, long before they were ever given the chance to make choices.
Finley becomes Beckett’s informal assistant and he becomes her tour guide. She teaches him that he’s worth more than he believes that he is and he teaches her to loosen up. They explore the Irish countryside, he films a movie, and she takes on a school project of learning more about Ireland through spending time with a senior citizen.
All the while, searching for a cross that her brother drew and wrote her name under.
Finding You feels like there is a lot going on at all times, but hey – that’s life. There is a lot going on all the time.
Beckett and Finley aren’t the obvious choice to be together, but what they are is a reminder that anything is possible and that you should always stick up for yourself. Living life isn’t easy, but it’s the roads that we take that challenge us and make us grow into the person we are meant to be.
There is the inevitable breakup, confusion, and the roads that lead them to make choices in their lives.
There are moments of magic and charm that entrance the viewer. Finding You is a good movie for the young adult audience, making you forget about the world around you, and getting lost in the idea of falling in love.
Finding You isn’t a Notting Hill for millennials, but is definitely a movie that stands on its own. In a time where the world is filled with chaos, it’s a good distraction that makes you believe that there is always something to believe in – yourself.
Grade: B+
Side Note: There are a lot of other people in this movie, but I didn’t want to give away their storylines, because it’s the shock of what is happening to them that brings out a lot of emotions.