3/16/17. I wanted to watch this because I like Anton Yelchin. The fact he died so young from a tragic accident made me want to catch everything he did. Sadly, Yelchin came off as being somewhat awkward in this somewhat implausible romance. Perhaps people living in such circles act this way, but just seemed a bit unrealistic.

In a perfect mix of French "amour" and American fast-track filming, enter 5 to 7, a good old love story that actually focus on love rather than crazy, life-changing situations. You will laugh, but not feel like you are in a cheap comedy. You will smile, but only because you feel the characters happiness. You will sometimes feel stunned, sad, and a slight discomfort, and all of that is just going to make you want to see more and more.At some point, you might be inclined to try and guess what is going to happen, but whether you see things coming or not, you will be too busy enjoying this amazing, feeling-packed movie, like nothing you have seen, at least not in the past ten years. The cast choice is just great, the script is simple, yet powerful and modern. You may just learn a thing or two about either culture, but mostly, you will feel all kinds of stuff. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good romance; maybe I got a bit weary of today's blockbusters; but I can tell you that I started watching this unintentionally on the TV, and I immediately knew it was going to be a great and powerful movie, with a strong message... and Arielle will make sure you know she has great teeth!

You expect a romance movie to have something to say about romance, the idea of romance or love. And while this movie has a lot of cheesy dialogue that would point in that direction, it ultimately has nothing to say. And when a romance movie has nothing to say about romance, you would typically expect to see a kind of chemistry that draws you in. And while the female lead attempts to portray this pretty well, the male lead appears to have no idea that his character is in a romance, let alone is in love. And when a movie like this has nothing to say about romance, and has precious little chemistry between the leads, you would at least expect it to have a smart script. Alas, the dialogue leads from one laughably clichéd line to another. The weirdly pointless bench taglines portrayed as "the best writing in NYC" should give us a clue about where the script is going and how the narrative will play out.Not to say this movie isn't worthwhile in other ways. The character of Jane, the editor, may be the only 3-dimensional one here, and she completely takes over many of the scenes -- of the precious few she's in. Her absence is sorely noticeable when she's not there. The male lead's parents, while not quite as fleshed out as we'd like, are nevertheless extremely enjoyable. The story itself is nothing special -- it plays out as melodrama (stock characters in a situation that forces them to act in stock ways) which isn't necessarily bad if it's well done, but it just isn't.Something else to mention about the story: The universe in which this story exists is one that rewards and ultimately revolves around complete sincerity. This is intensely aggravating, not just because it makes the whole thing unrealistic, but also as it implies that the people here have no interior lives. That the only thing that matters is what they have chosen to do in a completely sincere manner. That is, the important thing is not who they are, but what they do. For a purportedly delicate character study, this is a weird narrative choice.There is one piece of irony that is probably not intentional, but which completely destroys any integrity this movie may have had at one point, and the following isn't a spoiler. The line "What would you do for love?" is intended to apply only to the woman and her life decisions, but it ultimately applies to the man as well. Because his own implicit answer to this question is what leads this movie to go into the depths of self-indulgent pretension. All of which could be forgiven if any of the other faults mentioned above were also addressed.

Apparently, a movie, even without being non-fiction, it can make the life of the protagonist perfect in all sense. Anton Yelchin, who was amazing in Alpha Dog, now seems to not have a clue about acting. He overreacts in all corners, and unfortunately, for me, it stressed me the hell out. I would love to meet someday, a group of people, so balanced, ego-free, and totally sane, that they can have a complete and fulfilling life, even when they know they both have a side partner. I always try to identify the good aspects of the movie, the bright side if you will. I totally couldn't with this one. A paper thin plot, a pseudo smart narrative, and perfect nonsense circumstances for the main character. The only thing I learned about this movie is to make better choices when I get to go to the theater.