As the saying goes: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Unless, of course, you get blackout drunk on your 21st birthday and then wake up married. That’s exactly what happened to Evelyn in the latest Passionflix film, Lick.
Based on the book of the same name by author Kylie Scott, in Lick, Evelyn (Brooke Lee) learns that not only is she married at the age of 21, but she’s also married to David Ferris (Travis Burns), who happens to be a member of the most popular rock band Stage Dive. She’s immediately thrust into the spotlight alongside him. As they navigate their marriage, she questions whether she can handle his lifestyle and if their marriage is real or a mistake.
What I love about Passionflix is that it sticks to and leans into all the tropes we love. When they adapt a book for the screen, they don’t cut anything that makes us love these films. Lick is full of those tropes: The marriage, a fake relationship, stuck together, the one bed, and we’ll say amnesia, too, since Evelyn couldn’t remember how she ended up marrying David. That last one is something that hurts David. He is happy to be married to Evelyn because she sees something in him that nobody ever has. While it’s a fast-paced relationship, he does not care. He knows what he wants, and what he wants is Evelyn.
On the other hand, Evelyn wants no part of the rockstar lifestyle. Overnight, she’s got reporters and paparazzi chasing her down at the airport, news outlets speculating about who she is, and then there’s the band’s rabid fans, the “Stage Divers.” That is A LOT, so she’s ready to tap out. I think I would be, too, if everyone was dissecting every part of my life because social media is wild and incredibly judgy. It’s no surprise that David offers to take her away from it all for the weekend as his lawyers get their annulment papers together. They’ll have a little peace in Monterey and then go their separate ways. Of course, as these tropes go, we all know that is easier said than done.
One thing I can say about David is that he is nothing if he is not persistent. Because he doesn’t want to give Eveyln up, he takes her through what he calls “Memory rehab.” He does little things to try and jog her memory because he wants her to relive those feelings she had the night they were married. Evelyn isn’t ready to let go of David either because she agrees. Those “Memory rehab” moments were super cute to watch, and they gave me warm fuzzies. That’s what a good Rom-Com is supposed to do.
What I enjoyed most about Lick was that Evelyn and David spent a lot of time getting to know each other. They had a natural ease about them, and I was able to feel the shifts of them starting to realize just how much they wanted to be together. I also loved the noticeable change in their dynamic when they got back to LA. LA is where all of the drama was, and being in Monterey provided escapism. Once that was done, it was literally as if the honeymoon was over.
I also appreciated Evelyn’s dynamic with Malcolm, AKA “Mal (Joseph McNabb).” He provided a lot of comic relief in the film, and his relationship with Evelyn was a lot like that of a brother and sister. Same with Mal and David. I wish there had been more time between David and his brother Jimmy (Eric Brody). I would have also appreciated a few scenes where the band interacted more. I haven’t read Lick, so I’m not sure if there was much more time spent on David’s relationship with his bandmates, but I wanted to see it because it’s clear that there were a lot of conflicts they were dealing with.
Despite those beats I felt were missing, Lick was still a good film. I enjoyed the characters and the story. After watching it, I have another book to add to my ever-growing TBR!
Lick is available to stream now on Passionflix.
Good review for never having read the book. You should treat yourself to it and book 2 in the series, Beat ( Mal’s book) which is truly hilarious and has way more of that band interaction you crave.