Life Risking Romance (2016)

While there’s nothing outstanding about this movie, it’s nevertheless a fun, lighthearted watch with an entertaining plot. It knows not to take itself too seriously yet manages to build tension toward the end anyway.

Most of the story is driven by the female lead’s tendency to misinterpret things as evidence of crimes, then make questionable decisions as she investigates the supposed crimes. It leads to plenty of moments that had me sighing in amused resignation, because of course she does whatever she shouldn’t do in any given situation. Her outlandish ideas did actually keep me guessing which way the film’s writers would take things, too.

Acting-wise no one blew me away, but the cast were all able to match the tone of the script and keep things enjoyable. Most of the film understandably focuses on the three leads, and I especially like the comfortable casualness between the female lead and her long-suffering policeman friend. That said, the supporting characters are entertainingly quirky in their own ways. An amusing example is how the acquaintance of the two friends shamelessly prods the cop to be bold about his feelings for the female lead solely because the young woman wants to see any resulting drama.

Another aspect of the movie I really like is the resolution of the climax, which had me actively cheering the female lead on. My favorite small touch, however, is that the emergency operators recognize the female lead’s number/caller ID and greet her by name whenever she calls.

Now, a quick side note about the music: I honestly can’t recall there being any whatsoever, so I just stuck my rating in the middle. Presumably there were at least some background instrumental bits to help set the tone for suspenseful scenes, and if so I guess they must’ve blended in pretty naturally.

Overall I wasn’t deeply invested in this movie, but I still had a good time watching it. If I’m ever in the mood for something kinda silly and fun in the future then a rewatch isn’t off the table.

Read More