Romance Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Romance

Two people in historical costumes on the steps of a grand baroque church.
Review

Cyrano

by Leila Latif

Joe Wright returns to his wheel­house with a big-screen musi­cal adap­ta­tion of Edmond Rostand’s Cyra­no de Bergerac.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Group of well-dressed people at formal event, man and woman in centre wearing formal attire, colourful lights and decorations in background.
Review

Marry Me

by Rógan Graham

Eas­i­ly digestible hunk of rom-com fluff with Jen­nifer Lopez and Owen Wil­son doing the mis­matched cou­ple thing.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, having a conversation in a dimly lit setting with city lights visible through a window.
Review

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

by Trevor Johnston

The Japan­ese mas­ter deliv­ers his sec­ond smash hit of the year with a series of vignettes on human relationships.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Curly-haired child sitting on a couch, wearing a pink and white outfit, with a thoughtful expression on their face.
Review

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

by Charles Bramesco

Jes­si­ca Chas­tain trans­forms into the opu­lent yet con­tro­ver­sial​Tam­my Faye Mess­ner in Michael Showalter’s cus­tom­ary biopic.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A woman in a pinstriped blazer sits at a table, looking thoughtful with her chin resting on her hand.
Review

The Souvenir: Part II

by Hannah Strong

The sequel to Joan­na Hogg’s auto­bi­o­graph­i­cal mas­ter­piece is a stun­ning por­trait of an artist’s pro­found explo­ration of grief.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two men sitting on a sofa, one with darker skin and the other with lighter skin.
Review

Cicada

by Marina Ashioti

A book­store meet-cute leads to a trans­for­ma­tive rela­tion­ship for two gay men in Matthew Fifer and Kier­an Mulcare’s drama.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A woman in a cream-coloured top and a man in a striped shirt stand in front of a blue car.
Review

Licorice Pizza

by David Jenkins

New­com­ers Alana Haim and Coop­er Hoff­man shine in Paul Thomas Anderson’s most pure­ly plea­sur­able film to date.

5
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
A man with a beard wearing a white headscarf, looking thoughtful and serious.
Review

Freshman Year

by Emily Maskell

With this poignant rom-com, writer/​director and star Coop­er Raiff estab­lish­es him­self as a vital voice for Gen Z.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person wearing a patterned bucket hat and sunglasses, resting their chin on their hands against a pink background.
Review

Sweetheart

by Marina Ashioti

Teenage romance blos­soms by the sea­side in first-time direc­tor Mar­ley Morrison’s car­a­van park-set coming-of-ager.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A young woman with long, red hair holds a video camera, her face focused and determined.
Review

A Brixton Tale

by Leslie Byron Pitt

There’s plen­ty to admire in this social dra­ma from first-time direc­tors Bertrand Desrochers and Dar­ragh Carey.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect