Showing little regard for the intelligence of its audience, One True Loves stretches the suspension of disbelief until its final fray.

Phillipa Soo of Broadway’s Hamilton (and briefly seen in Blue’s Big City Adventure) plays Emma who, after grieving the loss of her husband Jesse (Luke Bracey of Lucky Day and Netflix’s Holidate), has reunited with love after falling for music teacher and long-time bestie Sam (Simu Liu, who was better utilized in last week’s Simulant).  Just when all of Emma’s ducks are in a row once again, she receives a phone call confirming that Jesse is, in fact, alive;  positioning Emma in a heart-stricken limbo between her current feelings for Sam and her attachment to the past.

This conflicting tug-of-war scenario feels directly plucked out of a mid-day soap opera, and the performances are on brand too.  All three actors trying to make this love triangle work have been charismatic on their own in different projects, but the script they’re working with (written by Alex J. Reid and Taylor Jenkins Reid, adapted from a novel by the latter Reid) simply offers the skeleton of a romantic comedy and halfhearted attempts to relay material about trauma.  The story has been written in a condescending “matter-of-fact” manner, suggesting that the screenwriters don’t want movie goers second guessing anything or putting together any of its faulty logic.  The narrative skips across time to show moments with each couple, but it’s an arbitrary storytelling technique to distract attention away from how flimsy the emotional core really is.  And in typical “hired gun” mode, director Andy Fickman (You Again, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, Playing with Fire) doesn’t bother to make the film any more cohesive than it is;  meaning the aloof filmmaker (and a fleet of producers) has allowed abrupt and sloppy edits to make it through to the final cut.

One True Loves has some unintentional giggles because of how thick its romance goggles are.  I was baffled when Emma was staring into the Pacific Ocean with binoculars trying to spot her missing husband – on her third day of searching.  And, when Sam hijacks his class to vent about love with everybody – kids and faculty – hanging on to every word he says.  And, when we see Jesse in survival mode during a sweat-drenched dream of what he endured in hopes of reuniting with Emma.  These descriptions may sound absurd, and that’s because they are.  However, the movie is completely unaware of how preposterous it is, plays everything without a hint of irony, and turns in extremely awkward results.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie