love again movie review 2023

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Love Again Reviews

Love Again, believe it or not, mirrors the opera [Orpheus And Eurydice] beautifully.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 12, 2023

Love Again is a charming rom-com with meaningful dramatic moments and likable enjoyable characters worth rooting for another chance at true love.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Sep 10, 2023

Is the film successful in converting the stone-hearted into a believer? Not completely. But it does get sufficiently close.

Full Review | Sep 9, 2023

... To watch this movie is to experience molecular-level embarrassment for all involved parties.

Full Review | Sep 5, 2023

[An] often maudlin tale that’s an unconvincing combination of P.S. I Love You and Sleepless in Seattle.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 31, 2023

A sweet romance that throws up two surprises - first of all Celine Dion can act and second of all the film takes on a more serious tone than you would expect at times.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 22, 2023

Love Again is not even on the cusp of being a memorable romantic-comedy, especially because it apparently forgot that a prerequisite of the genre is to provide laughs.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 2, 2023

Has a certain amount of charm but the needed chemistry between Jonas and Heughen just isn't there.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Jun 1, 2023

Love Again starts out with an uncomfortable premise, and things get worse from there. Even those who ironically enjoy Hallmark TV romances might have difficulty with a movie that can’t seem to hit the right notes.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | May 23, 2023

Fluffy, cheesy and nary a sense of ingenuity, Love Again can be seen as a throwback to the plentiful rom-coms of yore. Or as a laughable pastiche with sugar levels so high, it will make your teeth rot. Let the power ballad of the Queen guide you.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 20, 2023

Even the lead pair’s chemistry is up for debate. Love Again’s rehashed plot can’t help falling prey to all the rom-com tropes by being sappy and entirely predictable with not enough comedy.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 17, 2023

It’s got a Hallmark-level plot, and in other hands, perhaps the movie could be a little charming.

Full Review | May 17, 2023

If you want to see something familiar and comfortable and entertaining, "Love Again" is a decent option; just don't go to see it expecting something new or different. There would be no use. Full review in Spanish.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 16, 2023

It still overall charmed me and I thought everything with Celine Dion was cute. I love the idea of people falling in love over their words.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | May 16, 2023

Give me Priyanka Chopra Jonas clobbering away in a cheeseball action series over moping around in a silly, schmaltzy, romance that's long past its shelf life.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 16, 2023

It is of course Dion’s overwhelming voice and music that flood your heart, not this flimsy and occasionally morbid story.

Full Review | May 15, 2023

... A romantic comedy where everything you think it's gonna happen, happens. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | May 12, 2023

Sadly, I’m not sure her [Celine Dion's] five new ballads power over this rom-com’s sizable plot holes.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 12, 2023

Love Again sounds like a title where novelty goes to die, and the resulting film certainly does nothing to deviate from such lowered expectations.

Full Review | May 12, 2023

Despite the wacky commitment of Dion, Love Again is not a product you’re likely to fall for; you’re not even likely to settle either, as it’s all too sadly bland that you’d be better off adopting a mantra of the singer herself and stay “All By Myself”.

‘Love Again’ Review: Far-Fetched Romance Finds Celine Dion Ready for Her Close-Up … and Her Comeback

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan play depressed singles who hit it off after exchanging a series of embarrassing text messages in a movie featuring Celine Dion in her big-screen debut.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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We’ve all heard Celine Dion ’s “My Heart Will Go On,” but if you really listen to the lyrics — “Love can touch us one time / And last for a lifetime” — the tragedy-defying hope they describe applies to more than just comely Rose learning to live without her blue-eyed cabin boy. Eighteen years after “Titanic” made her a mega-star, Dion lost her husband and manager, René Angélil, and the singer has made no secret of her struggle to move on since.

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Two years after watching the love of her life struck down by a self-driving car, or else crushed by a fleet of scooters (we’ll never know, since said accident occurs right in front of Mira’s eyes but outside our view), Chopra Jonas’ character is having a hard time letting go. Without realizing that Rob is on the receiving end, she starts flooding his new work phone with wincingly intimate texts — messages about how she misses the smell of her soul mate, and her desire to be naked together.

Enter Celine Dion, whom Rob’s been assigned to profile for the only-in-the-movies newspaper where he “works.” Played by the Scottish “Outlander” star with a disconcerting, what-is-he-hiding stare, he brings a strange energy to the role. Rob could be Alexander Skarsgård’s serial-killer sibling. The only difference between this guy and all the chiseled-abs dudes Mira swipes past on Bumble is that Rob wears shirts — though they don’t appear to have been washed in a few days.

Edgier than the film’s target audience as he is, Rob doesn’t think much of Dion, dismissing her lyrics as sentimental and trite — which even a Celine Dion super fan (like myself) would concede to be true. Dion’s power is in her delivery: the pure chest-thumping conviction with which she howls lines like “Where does my heart beat now? / Where is the sound / That only echoes through the night?” Slouchy and unshaven, Rob shows up to interview the singer, and she turns the tables: “You have the presence of a pair of used underwear,” she quips, her Canadian accent undercutting the comic timing and bite of that barb. (Where’s Cher when you need her?) The movie would be more interesting with some of that “Devil Wears Prada” venom, whereas Dion comes off … well, decent. Hence, the self-help vibe.

There’s not much chemistry between Chopra Jonas and Heughan — and how could there be, since they’re stuck in a one-way conversation for half the movie? Plus, Mira’s texts are just so sad. At one point, after Rob spends the night, Mira wakes up to hear him talking with her younger sister Suzy (Sofia Barclay), and it seems for a second that perhaps he’s found a better match — someone with the capacity to smile. But Mira must surely find a way to love again, and there seems to be potential, if they can just get past their One Big Secret, which will require an absurdly unprofessional demonstration of love on Rob’s part.

Again, that’s where love guru Dion comes in handy, playing a barely fictionalized version of herself as she shares details from her real-life relationship with Angélil. Though we see Dion’s strong survivor side, her vulnerability remains one of her most endearing assets — the very same quality that makes her persona too much for some people to take. “Love Again” was never intended for the skeptics, whereas admirers will appreciate the comeback aspect of her first film role. It’s a big-screen romance that aspires to making fans feel the way Dion’s music does, like their hearts can go on.

Reviewed at Screening Room, Culver City, Calif., May 4, 2023. MPA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 104 MIN.

• Production: A Sony release of a Screen Gems presentation, in association with 2.0 Entertainment, of a Thunder Road Films production. Producers: Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Esther Hornstein. Executive producers: Doug Belgrad, Sophie Cassidy, Louise Killin, Jonathan Fuhrman, Celine Dion, Dave Platel, Denis Savage.
• Crew: Director, writer: Jim Strouse, based on the motion picture “Text for You” (“SMS für Dich”), based on the novel by Sofie Cramer and written by Andrea Wilson, Malte Welding, Karoline Herfurth, Sophie Kluge, Anike Decker. Camera: Andrew Dunn. Editor: Jesse Gordon. Music: Keegan DeWitt.
• With: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan, Celine Dion, Russell Tovey, Steve Oram, Arinzé Kene, Lydia West, Sofia Barclay, Celia Imrie, Omid Djalili.

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A young woman tries to ease the pain of her fiancé's death by sending texts to his old cell phone number, and forms a connection with the man the number has been reassigned to. A young woman tries to ease the pain of her fiancé's death by sending texts to his old cell phone number, and forms a connection with the man the number has been reassigned to. A young woman tries to ease the pain of her fiancé's death by sending texts to his old cell phone number, and forms a connection with the man the number has been reassigned to.

• Jim Strouse
• Sofie Cramer
• Andrea Willson
• Priyanka Chopra Jonas
• Sam Heughan
• Céline Dion
• 173 User reviews
• 64 Critic reviews
• 32 Metascore
• 1 nomination

Top cast 25

• (as Celine Dion)

• Billy Brooks

• Richard Hughes

• Gina Valentine

• Street Musician

• Rendez Bartender

• Female Journalist

• Male Journalist
• Molly the Intern
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia The man who Priyanka Chopra's character has a bad date with is played by her real life husband, Nick Jonas. She said that when she read that part of the script she went to him and told him he had to do it because she wouldn't be able to do it with anyone else.
• Goofs In the beginning of the film, Rob refers to the Celine Dion song as "My Heart Still Goes On," when the title is actually "My Heart Will Go On."

Mira Ray : Celine said you need to do the dishes.

Rob Burns : Yes, of course. Anything Celine says.

• Crazy credits There is a mid credit scene in which Rob is doing his first podcast with Céline Dion as a guest.
• Connections Featured in OWV Updates: Multimedia Update (08/10/2023) - OWV is Back! (2023)
• Soundtracks The Gift Written by James Morales , Matthew Morales , Tina Parol , Julio David Rodriguez and Jason Wade (as Jason Michael Wade) Performed by Céline Dion Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc. and Columbia Records By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment

User reviews 173

Love again... by celine dion.

• Jun 1, 2023
• How long is Love Again? Powered by Alexa
• May 5, 2023 (United States)
• United States
• Amor A Primer Mensaje
• Hackney Empire, London, England, UK (Theatre Scene inside the theatre auditorium)
• Screen Gems
• 2.0 Entertainment
• Thunder Road Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• May 7, 2023
• $12,696,584
• Runtime 1 hour 44 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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‘Love Again’: Critics and audiences clash over Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan rom-com

• May 11, 2023 3:00PM

On May 5, 2023, Sony Pictures released “ Love Again ” starring Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the romantic comedy. A young woman (Chopra Jonas) tries to ease the pain of her fiancé’s death by sending romantic texts to his old cell phone number, and forms a connection with the man the number has been reassigned to (Heughan). The ensemble cast includes Grammy winner Celine Dion , Russell Tovey , Steve Oram , Omid Djalili , and Lydia West .

While critics have widely panned the film, landing it at a paltry 22% on Rotten Tomatoes from 23 reviews, audiences are swooning, with over 250 everyday movie-goers putting it at a 92% fresh audience score. So what’s causing this clash? Read our full review round-up below.

SEE 17 most anticipated movies for May include ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ ‘Fast X,’ ‘You Hurt My Feelings’ … [PHOTOS]

Avi Offer of NYC Movie Guru praises the film, noting, “Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan have palpable chemistry which helps you to want Mira and Rob to end up together. Chemistry is everything in a romcom, so kudos to the casting director and Jim Strouse for selecting romantic leads who are very charismatic. The supporting actors and actresses are also terrific including Celia Imrie , who makes the most out of her few scenes, Omid Djalili, and Steve Oram who has a hilarious scene as Rob’s editor. Then there’s the wonderful music by Celine Dion including some of her new songs. At a running time of 1 hour and 44 minutes, ‘Love Again’ is a heartwarming, tender and witty romantic comedy. If you enjoy 90’s romcoms like ‘You’ve Got Mail’ and ‘While You Were Sleeping,’ you’ll probably enjoy ‘Love Again,’ too.”

Mark Dujsik of Mark Reviews Movies notes, “So many things go wrong with ‘Love Again,’ almost immediately from the start, that it’s quite the struggle to figure out if anything actually goes right within this wholly predictable and occasionally creepy attempt at a romantic story. There’s at least a little bit of chemistry between the two leads, and while that would usually be something, it’s beside the point in this movie. The setup of the central relationship is simply too contrived and discomforting to care if the actors seem as if they’re having fun playing at falling in love.”

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Travis Hopson of Punch Drunk Critics writes, “Let me preface this by saying that I’m a big fan of writer/director James C. Strouse. Two of his previous films, ‘The Incredible Jessica James’ and ‘People Places Things,’ both featuring Jessica Williams , are wonderful blends of humor and heart about the way that love can sneak up on you when least expected. His latest, the wildly absurd, Celine Dion worship spectacle ‘Love Again’ sorta follows the same idea. Um, love definitely comes out of nowhere, that’s for sure. It’s a film so bizarre in so many ways that you almost want to like it for being so strange, and for giving us the undeniably stunning sight of Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan in a game of pick-up basketball.”

Despite those tepid, or even scathing reviews, audiences are loving the film. A few verified ticket buyers wrote:

“I laughed. I cried. It’s not going to win any academy awards but it was a fun rom-com movie to see. My gal-pal and I both enjoyed it and it’s a movie I might even consider seeing a second time with my husband.” – Bev

“Fun romantic escape. Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas played with our hearts from cynical, resignation, to hopeful, you just wanted to cheer them on. And Celine as love guru – using her lyrics says it all. Go see ‘Love Again’ to lift your spirits.” – V

“This was such a good movie. I really enjoyed it. It even made me cry. Definitely a movie for saps who love a good romance movie.” – Ashley

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15 thoughts on “‘Love Again’: Critics and audiences clash over Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan rom-com”

This one is right up my alley. Going to watch it this evening. It definitely looks like a winner. I know some did not give it rave reviews but they probably just don’t like the cast or something because I think it’s one to watch. My sister saw it and loved it so I know I like what she likes

It’s 2023 and are we still going to listen to the critics. Critics also panned Mario and audiences loved it. I thought Love Again was pretty good since I’m a romcom genre fan

Worst movie I’ve seen in a long time from writing to directing to atrocious acting and anything in between. LA should never have seen the light of day. It’s not even watchable on streaming. Flabbergasted that someone paid for this embarrassing disaster to be made and once completed decided it was fine to release it.

I saw it. Usually I love these type movies but it didn’t really do anything for me

Over the many years I have been a moviegoer, I’ve learned to ignore the greatly overpaid critics in favor of the words of the typical movie fan. I have rarely been wrong. A movie may not be everyone’s cup of tea BUT there is no excuse for extreme rudeness. It simply proves that a poor review is a means to justify a critic’s existence. We don’t need a critic to tell us what to like.

I totally enjoyed it and look forward to seeing again when it is streamed on cable. It was silly at times, but we definitely need silly now……

I never listen to critics! very simple and very sweet film. everyone in the theater enjoyed it. Many people were talking about Sam Heughan, and how fantastic he is an outlander, etc. after the film was over that never happens.❤️

Critics can be cruel and too judgemental. Never looking at the positive only the negative. Movie goers are diverse in their preferences, Sometimes a feel good movie is just what we need. Sam Heughan is a wonderful actor. Outlander shows how multi-talented he is.

Love comedies but this movie was the farthest from it. Dated, questionable plot, horrendous dialogues, questionable American accents that float in and out of all actors plus no chemistry between leads. Everything is sub par including mediocre performances especially Heughan’s who lacks talent and screen presence. I advise anyone who isn’t his over the top fan rating this anomaly 10/10 on IMBb to save money and play it in the background on TV for free while doing household chores.

I couldn’t bare to watch, turned off halfway through. Love the leads, but so predictable. Too bad.

I saw the movie twice, a week apart. Loved it more the second time. I thought it was quite clever. Very sweet. I’ll be buying it when it comes out on DVD.

Can’t believe I’m saying that even Hallmark has better production quality, credible writing and relatively decent performances compared to this rubbish. Acting is inferior across the board and the leads totally lack chemistry. Neither Chopra Jonas nor Heughan are memorable with Heughan’s handful of facial expressions recycled in every scene whether appropriate or not. Seriously, who thought this guy is leading man quality? The guy has no range. At least Chopra had a few believable moments. Guess, when everything associated with this movie was so awful from the beginning, they weren’t able to cast anyone with star power and talent so they got this guy instead. Nothing about Love Again is redeemable. Not even Dion, who should stick to what she does best, singing. Critics were right. Don’t waste money or time on wreck.

It was kinda awful. Saw it this past week with my husband He fell asleep. Great summary though

The writing was absolutely awful, the plot was absolutely ridiculous, the whole movie was absolutely disastrous. It was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I could not wait for it to end.

Heughan was wooden and Chopra Jonas was too luscious and ripe to be believable. Her flat-mate in the film was the only person worth watching. Dion just played herself, but that was okay. Tedious and expensive rubbish.

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Common Sense Media Review

Music soars in so-so romcom about how a heart will go on.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Love Again is a romantic comedy about finding love after loss; it's based on the book Text for You by Sofie Cramer. Singer Céline Dion co-stars as herself, using her music and personal experiences to guide main characters Mira (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) and Rob (Sam Heughan) on…

Why Age 13+?

Strong language includes "a--holes," "d--khead," "screwed," "s--t," "shut up," a

Skittles are positively and prominently featured, indicating likely product plac

Mira is mourning the death of her fiancé after seeing him getting fatally hit by

Romantic plot. Kissing. One character propositions the person she's been dating;

Alcohol is verbally and visually identified as a path to interaction: Wine to ta

Any Positive Content?

Lots of positive messages about love: what it takes to fall in love, love's endu

Mira and her first love, John, have an aspirational romance. Mira and Rob have i

Main character Mira (Indian actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas) is Indian. Her late fir

Parents need to know that Love Again is a romantic comedy about finding love after loss; it's based on the book Text for You by Sofie Cramer. Singer Céline Dion co-stars as herself, using her music and personal experiences to guide main characters Mira ( Priyanka Chopra Jonas ) and Rob ( Sam Heughan) on their emotional journey. Romance is core to the story: There's kissing, and supporting characters make blunt references to pursuing casual sex ("we're going to smash," "I'm getting laid," and "get the D!"). But their crass attitude actually makes it more meaningful when Mira and Rob thoughtfully decide to become intimate. (After they do, the scene cuts to the morning after, with them lying under the covers, only backs and shoulders shown.) Mira sees her boyfriend get fatally hit by a car. Characters drink, and language includes "d--khead," "s--t," and more. While there are lots of positive messages about the power of love, some viewers may be put off by the way that Rob tracks Mira down using the information in her texts.

To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Strong language includes "a--holes," "d--khead," "screwed," "s--t," "shut up," and "that sucks." "God" used as an exclamation. Sexual slang: "get laid," "smash," and "get that D!"

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Skittles are positively and prominently featured, indicating likely product placement. Attention to shoe brands, with Nike Air Jordans treated with some reverence. Dell logo half obscured but identifiable. Céline Dion's music is heavily featured.

Violence & Scariness

Mira is mourning the death of her fiancé after seeing him getting fatally hit by a car (there's a close-up on her reaction as it happens). One push/punch given in startled self-defense.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Romantic plot. Kissing. One character propositions the person she's been dating; they kiss, and then the scene cuts to the next morning, when they're lying in bed together, sensitive body parts hidden by sheets. Bare male chests. Banter about "getting laid" or "getting that D."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Alcohol is verbally and visually identified as a path to interaction: Wine to talk to the dead (you have to see the movie to understand), margaritas on a first date, "champagne in a can" for a date in the park, and a bottle of bourbon in a breakup.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Lots of positive messages about love: what it takes to fall in love, love's enduring power, love being what gets us through life's messy and painful moments, the power of finding love after loss.

Positive Role Models

Mira and her first love, John, have an aspirational romance. Mira and Rob have idyllic creative professions: Mira is a successful children's author, and Rob is a newspaper music critic. It's Rob's curiosity, which turns into compassion, that sparks his romance with Mira -- although, through a different lens, his actions could be seen as verging on stalking. Céline Dion plays herself and shares stories from her life and marriage.

Diverse Representations

Main character Mira (Indian actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas) is Indian. Her late first love, John (Nigerian-born Arinzé Kene), is Black, as is Lisa (Irish Montserratian actor Lydia West), the co-worker/confidant of male lead Rob (White actor Sam Heughan). Rob's colleague and best friend is gay, which falls into romcom-stereotype territory -- although it does usually involve the leading lady's BFF, rather than the leading man's. Co-star Céline Dion is famously French Canadian. A White supporting character comes from an economically disadvantaged background. Mira's publisher is a woman who's depicted as kind and patient, but, if necessary, cut-throat.

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Where to Watch

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What's the Story?

Two years after the death of her boyfriend, John (Arinzé Kene), children's book author Mira Ray ( Priyanka Chopra Jonas ) is still mired in grief, unable to move forward with her life. To work through her feelings, she starts texting them to John's old number, unaware that it's been reassigned to Rob ( Sam Heughan) , a music critic at the New York Chronicle . Céline Dion co-stars as a guardian angel-like version of herself, using her music and her own experiences of love and loss to guide Mira and Rob. (And, in a cute wink, Chopra Jonas' real-life husband, Nick Jonas , humorously pops in as a bad date.)

Is It Any Good?

It may inspire more hanky use than hilarity, but, as a heart grabber, this Céline Dion-powered musical romance dramedy works. Don't misunderstand: There's plenty to clog the pipes. Chopra Jonas is so electric with Kene and her real-life husband, Nick Jonas, that her mismatch with Heughan becomes impossible to ignore. And New York is treated like a character in the story ... which makes the fact that it clearly wasn't filmed in the Big Apple distracting (and then there's the fact that most of the cast is from the United Kingdom, and some are trying to disguise their accents).

But in a world in which movies like Mamma Mia! , Yesterday , and Blinded by the Light have already explored ways of making a movie inspired by a single artist or group's music, a romance that co-stars Dion as a sort of guardian angel makes its own sense. The film concept is strong, the dialogue is good, and the music is amazing. Viewers may well find themselves singing, laughing, and crying along to Dion's ballads -- and realizing anew that while great music helps us through challenges, the soundtrack of our lives is love.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Love Again 's use of Céline Dion and her music and how that compares to other movies you've seen in which a single artist or group's music is used to tell a story. Do you like that concept? Why, or why not?

Why is music so often powerfully tied to our emotions? How can song lyrics be interpreted differently depending on your situation and mood?

How does Rob's curiosity lead to his finding love? How did this character trait conflict with his integrity , and how do you think you would have handled the situation? Do you think Rob's behavior -- tracking down the person who's sending him texts -- could be considered stalking? How would you feel if you were Mira?

Did you spot anything that looked like product placement? When you see characters or actors using a product or wearing a brand, does it affect your buying choices?

A lot of love advice is given throughout the film. What stuck with you?

Movie Details

• In theaters : May 5, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : May 23, 2023
• Cast : Priyanka Chopra , Sam Heughan , Céline Dion
• Director : Jim Strouse
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Sony Pictures
• Genre : Romance
• Topics : Book Characters , Brothers and Sisters , Music and Sing-Along
• Character Strengths : Curiosity
• Run time : 104 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : some sexual material and some strong language
• Last updated : August 25, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

The Broken Hearts Gallery

Sleepless in Seattle

Return to Me

P.S. I Love You

Somewhere in Time

Romantic comedies, romance movies, related topics.

• Book Characters
• Brothers and Sisters
• Music and Sing-Along

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

‘Love Again’ Movie Review: A Cute Rom-Com With Celine Dion

The new romantic comedy stars Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

Love Again  is like a PG-13 Hallmark Channel movie – and is about as far-fetched as a rom-com gets.

Through cynical eyes (just scroll down  Rotten Tomatoes ), the  Love Again  movie is about a creepy guy taking advantage of a grieving woman using many rom-com tropes.

But if you approach the film uncynically, accept the story’s sweetness, and embrace romance unabashedly , you’ll likely enjoy the ride as much as I did – especially for the likable actors (Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas) and new original songs from Céline Dion (who also stars).

LOVE AGAIN  THE MOVIE – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Before going into my  Love Again  review, I gathered everything you need to know about the new romantic comedy: from the official synopsis to the movie’s cast, the soundtrack, and the trailer.

Love Again  Official Synopsis: 

From Sony Pictures:

What if a random text message led to the love of your life? In this romantic comedy, dealing with the loss of her fiancé, Mira Ray sends a series of romantic texts to his old cell phone number…not realizing the number was reassigned to Rob Burns’ new work phone. A journalist, Rob is captivated by the honesty in the beautifully confessional texts. When he’s assigned to write a profile of megastar Celine Dion (playing herself in her first film role), he enlists her help in figuring out how to meet Mira in person…and win her heart. Starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan and Celine Dion and featuring multiple new songs from Dion, Love Again, written for the screen and directed by Jim Strouse, is only in theaters May 5, 2023.

Love Again  Movie Cast

Love Again  includes a fascinating cast led by Sam Heughan ( Outlander ) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas ( Citadel ), with supporting roles from Céline Dion, Russell Tovey ( Being Human ), Nick Jonas, Celia Imrie, and more.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas stars as children’s book illustrator Mira Ray, a grieving young woman, sending text messages to her deceased boyfriend.

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Sam Heughan plays the male lead, Rob Burns (a clear nod to the Scottish poet Robert Burns), a music critic writing a profile piece on Céline Dion – who convinces him of the power of love and taking chances. He starts receiving Mira’s texts and falls in love with her.

Céline Dion makes her feature film debut playing a fictional version of herself – telling of her romantic love story with René Angélil and working as the fairy godmother of sorts in the film.

The rest of the supporting actors include:

• Sofia Barclay as Mira’s younger sister, Suzy Ray.
• Russell Tovey as Billy Brooks – Rob’s co-worker and best friend. 
• Lydia West as Lisa Scott – Another co-worker of Rob’s.
• Steve Oram as Richard Hughes – Rob’s boss.
• Nick Jonas as Joel – A date Mira meets through a dating app. 
• Celia Imrie as Gina Valentine – Mira’s publisher.
• Arinzé Kene as John – Mira’s deceased boyfriend, John.
• Omid Djalili as Mohsen – A family friend of Mira.

Love Again  Soundtrack Featuring Céline Dion

The soundtrack from the movie features five new songs from Céline Dion – including the featured song, “Love Again!” Plus, familiar favorites like “All By Myself,” “It’s All Coming Back to Me,” and more.

If you’re a Céline fan, this is a film you can’t miss – if only for the amazing soundtrack. The new songs are lovely.

Love Again  Film Trailer

LOVE AGAIN  REVIEW

Love Again  is a light-hearted romance movie that won’t win any awards (not that it’s trying to) but will win over the hearts of romantics everywhere.

It’s a nice bit of fluff escapism set in New York City that fully embraces what it is: a romantic comedy fantasy following rom-com trope after trope with a HEA as its cherry on top.

Love Again  is a remake of the 2016 German film  SMS für Dich  and is also based on the 2009 novel by Sofie Cramer. And while I can’t compare this movie to the original inspirations since I haven’t read the book or seen the German adaptation, it sounds like the American remake followed the heart of the original story without significant deviations.

The story follows Mira Ray after the tragic loss of her fiancé. Two years after his passing, she finds solace in sending heartfelt, confessional texts to his old cell phone number.

Little does she know that the number has been reassigned to Rob Burns, a dedicated music critic/media journalist. He quickly becomes enamored by the sincerity and emotion conveyed in Mira’s messages and sets out to meet her in person.

RELATED: The Lost City Movie Review: The New Rom-Com is Funny and Fantastic

When assigned to write a profile piece on Céline Dion, he enlists Céline’s help to win Mira’s heart. But what if Mira finds out the truth about the text messages? Will Mira and Rob find love together? Or will they break apart because he didn’t tell her the whole story from the beginning?

Thus, the premise of  Love Again . It is a rom-com about the transformative power of love and connection in the digital age – albeit with a heavy-handed dosage of saccharine sweetness.

The Romance

The romance on the surface of the story sounds weird. A guy reads personal texts without revealing he’s receiving them and then sets out to find this woman in person. It could be seen as a bit stalker-like.

But it’s  Outlander’s  Sam Heughan, with his natural accent showcasing all his charm and adorable qualities, playing a likable, good guy. So, if you accept that this story is more fantasy than reality and ultimately go on to accept the premise in this rom-com world, it’s really fun and endearing to watch.

Expectations going in are key. As I said, the only way to enjoy this movie is without cynicism.

The movie has numerous entertaining romantic moments and good chemistry between Chopra Jonas and Heughan – although more character development would have been nice. As would a wittier script and actual comedic moments.

But the love story itself is entertaining and worth watching.

Céline Dion 

As for Ms. Dion, she does a fantastic job in the film – proving she’s a talented actress on top of her phenomenal singing abilities.

She portrays a fictionalized version of herself – adding to the authenticity – revealing more about the real-life love story between her and her husband – while also playing matchmaker in the film.

It’s an absolute joy to watch Dion’s performance – and her new original songs are great, too. 

Overall Thoughts

While there isn’t much comedy in this rom-com (a continuing problem in the genre), it’s a sweet treat for rom-com fans everywhere looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

And if you enjoyed romantic comedies and movies like  Return to Me , You’ve Got Mail , or  P.S. I Love You  and ALSO (also is key) love Hallmark romances, this is the movie for you. It’s a middle-of-the-road romance film with decent directing and a lovely script – but nothing overly memorable.

Still, I enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone wanting to watch a Hallmark-type film with a little more sensuality.

So, take in the spoonful of sugar and embrace the sweetness of  Love Again , a heartwarming romantic comedy that explores the serendipitous power of love and technology.  

Love Again  Movie: Where to Watch

The  Love Again  movie premiered on Netflix on September 2, 2023, and is currently available exclusively on the streaming site. You can also rent or buy the film digitally or on DVD.

Content Note:  PG-13 for brief, strong language, suggestive content, and implied sensuality.

Have you watched  Love Again ? Do you agree with my review? What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments!

PIN THIS ARTICLE! AND MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON  PINTEREST .

More romance:.

ROMANCE ARCHIVES: A COLLECTION SORTED BY GENRE

Amber works as a writer and digital publisher full-time and fell in love with stories and imagination at an early age. She has a Humanities and Film Degree from BYU, co-created The Silver Petticoat Review, contributed as a writer to various magazines, and has an MS in Publishing from Pace University, where she received the Publishing Award of Excellence and wrote her thesis on transmedia, Jane Austen, and the romance genre. Her ultimate dreams are publishing books, writing and producing movies, traveling around the world, and forming a creative village of talented storytellers trying to change the world through art.

More posts by this author.

Love Again Review

It’s bold to assume the audience of your Hollywood romcom is familiar with the opera  Orpheus And Eurydice  by Christoph Willibald Gluck. The Orpheus myth has inspired some of the greatest filmmakers of the past century, from Jean Cocteau to Céline Sciamma. To that lofty pantheon we must now add James C. Strouse, writer and director of  Love Again . Or rather Karoline Herfurth, whose 2016 film  SMS für Dich  (based on a novel by Sofie Cramer), inspired it. Perhaps German cinemagoers are all Gluck aficionados.

Love Again , believe it or not, mirrors the opera beautifully. After children’s book illustrator Mira Ray ( Priyanka Chopra Jonas ) loses her boyfriend in a car accident, she continues to text her dead lover’s phone as a channel for her grief. His mobile is recycled and used as the work phone of music critic Rob Burns ( Sam Heughan ), who falls in love with Mira through her melancholic poetry. Mira reveals her adoration for  Orpheus And Eurydice , currently playing in New York, and Rob attends every performance to stage an impromptu meet-cute.

They strike up a romance, only for Mira to find her texts on Rob’s phone. Like Orpheus turning to face Eurydice, which condemns her to Hades forever, Mira disappears from Rob’s life. But unlike the Orpheus myth, Gluck’s opera has the cupid-like Amore revive Eurydice after taking pity on Orpheus — and who better to embody Amore in this adaptation than Canadian diva Celine Dion, appearing as herself, to guide Rob through the nine circles of Hell? It’s a peculiar sort of genius.

To this bizarre concoction add a smattering of British stars, including Russell Tovey , Lydia West, and Celia Imrie , doing shaky American accents, and that’s  Love Again . It’s roughly made, suffocated by on-screen text messages and a heavy violin score by Keegan DeWitt out of tune with the Gluck arias and Dion ballads. But when a movie moves with such ease from ‘Che farò senza Eurydice?’ to ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’, one can only respond with bemused respect.

Love Again (2023) Movie Review: A Sub-par Rom-Com That Doesn’t Quite Embrace The Intertextuality of Its Mystical Plot

Love Again (2023) Movie Review : Good rom-coms bring a mature sweetness married with a graceful feeling of calm in the central love story. There’s an unspoken and endearing tenderness that the films bring while providing a keen sense of comfort. After enjoying a cultural resurgence starting in 1989 and ’90 with the release of films such as “When Harry Met Sally,” the genre has always been subject to the cultural framework. Now we’re in the era of the Netflix rom-com; movies made for streaming that end up being so fanciful yet slapdash they can leave you longing for a grounded movie. Director James C. Strouse’s latest, “Love Again,” isn’t released directly on streaming, but it certainly feels like one.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays Mira Ray, an award-winning illustrator who witnesses the death of her love in front of her eyes when he is hit by a drunk driver at the beginning of the film. The scene plays with the accident concealed from the viewer, with the camera lingering on the actress’ surprisingly impassive face. Two years into her loss, Mira begins to embrace the choice of moving on.

She’s coaxed into returning to the city by her younger sister Suzy (Sofia Barclay). Hence, the grief-stricken Mira begins to put herself out there through a dating app till she eventually finds herself on a sub-par date with a midtown-bro cheekily played by none other than Nick Jonas. To cope up with that and all that preceded, Mira begins texting her raw feelings to John’s old number, now recommissioned as a new work phone to Rob Burns (Sam Heughan) – a morose music critic reeling from a recently broken engagement.

Two things seem to break Rob’s iciness – heartrending texts from a girl he’s yet to meet in person and an assignment to profile Céline Dion – someone who embarks on her first tour since the death of her husband/manager from cancer. Rob soon deduces to seek the gorgeous Mira with the help of his bow-tied colleague Billy (Russell Tovey), and even more obviously, contrives a way to cross paths with her in real life. That his plan involves sitting through a dozen opera performances in the hope of catching sight of his mystery crush (almost) embodies the spirit of the film that also masquerades as being a grief drama.

The French-Canadian singer Céline Dion is often called the queen of the power ballad. Here, she comes in handy as the love guru, playing a barely fictionalized and meta version of herself as she shares details from her real-life relationship with Angélil. Alas, the film doesn’t commit itself to this self-aware tone and morphs into a feature-length advertisement for the power of technology to bring people together.

Watching the two leads turn to the camera every once in a while and say, “That’s the dating app where the girl gets to make the first move!” was enough for me to realize how Sony’s history with product placement would translate here.

“You have the presence of a pair of used underwear,” Dion’s character tells a character at one point in the film. A more committed romcom would’ve known how to convert the very absurdity of the screenplay into a metaphor for the absurdity of love. But the sheer fact that the two leads in the film share zero on-screen chemistry at all render most of the intimate moments cold. We watch Mira decide to pour her heart out to John’s mobile number until she ends up connecting to Rob. But her reaction to eventually finding out the truth doesn’t reflect any of the internal dynamics going on with her. Despite several sensitive moments that depict the frayed edges and boundaries of grief, the film submerges itself into a territory from which it never really recovers.

It’s only your knowledge of Dion’s real-life trajectory that informs her mildly complex character’s strong survivor side; her character remains one of the only endearing for some people to take. To the extent that it might become too much for some viewers to handle. Overall, “Love Again” comes across as an over-the-top and completely misplaced film that soars against the boundaries of anyone with a taste in heart warming romcom.

Also, Read: Year Of The Fox (2023) Movie Review: Has all the ingredients and the recipe to make a great dish, but couldn’t cook it well

Love again (2023) links: imdb love again  (2023) cast: priyanka chopra jonas, sam heughan, céline dion, where to watch love again.

Aryan Vyas is a film critic who shares an equal fascination towards science and philosophy. Alike most cinephiles, he too believes that films carry the potential of acting as windows to peep into different cultures in search for the human condition. He has written for publications such as High on Films, Film Companion and Asian Movie Pulse. Through his write-ups, he looks at the artform through a sociopolitical lens, as he believes art is always better consumed knowing the subtext.

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