View source for Love at First Sight (2023 film)

{{Short description|American film by Vanessa Caswill}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Love at First Sight
| image          = Love at first sight 2023.jpeg
| alt            =
| caption        = Promotional release poster
| director       = [[Vanessa Caswill]]
| screenplay     = Katie Lovejoy
| based_on       = {{Based on|''The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight''|[[Jennifer E. Smith (author)|Jennifer E. Smith]]}}
| producer       = [[Matt Kaplan]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Haley Lu Richardson]]
* [[Ben Hardy (actor)|Ben Hardy]]
* [[Jameela Jamil]]
* [[Rob Delaney]]
* [[Sally Phillips]]
* [[Dexter Fletcher]]
}}
| cinematography = Luke Bryant
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
* Michelle Harrison
* [[Joe Klotz]]
}}
| music          = Paul Saunderson
| studio         = ACE Entertainment
| distributor    = [[Netflix]]
| released       = {{Film date|2023|09|15}}
| runtime        = 91 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         =
| gross          =
}}
'''''Love at First Sight''''' is a 2023 American [[romantic comedy]] film directed by [[Vanessa Caswill]] and written by Katie Lovejoy, based upon the 2011 novel ''The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight'' by [[Jennifer E. Smith (author)|Jennifer E. Smith]]. It stars [[Haley Lu Richardson]], [[Ben Hardy (actor)|Ben Hardy]], [[Dexter Fletcher]], [[Rob Delaney]], [[Sally Phillips]] and [[Jameela Jamil]]. The film premiered on [[Netflix]] on September 15, 2023.
==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summary should be between 400 to 700 words. -->
On December 21st at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK Airport]], the narrator introduces 20-year old Hadley Sullivan. An American student who is often late with an undercharged phone, Hadley just misses her flight to London and is rebooked on the next.
At a charging station, Hadley meets British 22-year old [[Yale University|Yale]] student Oliver Jones, who lends her his charger. They hit it off and agree to have dinner together at the food court. Hadley explains she is flying to London for her dad Andrew's second wedding and is ambivalent about his decision to remarry only a few years after divorcing her mother. Oliver reveals he is studying [[statistical inference]] and conducting a unspecified research project. As he is carrying a garment bag, Hadley assumes he is also going to a wedding, which he does not contest.
After boarding, Hadley and Oliver part, but he discovers his seat belt is broken, so is moved to the seat next to Hadley. They spend the flight falling in love.
After landing, Oliver puts his mobile number into Hadley's so she can contact him, but it dies and she loses the number. With no way to find him, Hadley goes to the wedding, arriving right before it's due to start. Although struggling with her father's decision to remarry, Hadley is struck by his fiancée Charlotte's kindness and consideration.
After the ceremony, Hadley overhears family friends telling Charlotte they’ll be leaving early to attend a memorial service. After hearing some of the details, Hadley quickly realizes Oliver has actually come to London to attend his mother’s memorial, not a wedding. Hadley spontaneously decides to go to it, as the wedding reception doesn't start for four hours.
Meanwhile, Oliver's brother Luther collects him at the airport to head to the Shakespeare-themed memorial. There, he reunites with his father Val, and his still-living mother Tessa, who has terminal lung cancer and wants to attend her own memorial. Oliver tells her he is unhappy she refuses to undergo treatment, but Tessa emphasises that even with treatment she would still die, so would rather do so feeling like herself.
Hadley finds the memorial service where she meets Oliver's family. After overcoming her initial confusion over Tessa still being alive, she eventually finds Oliver.
Oliver is happy to see Hadley, and tries to downplay his feelings about his mother's death. When she presses him to be honest and not use statistics to rationalise the situation, Oliver lashes out. Hadley leaves.
Afterwards, Oliver delivers Tessa's eulogy. In it, he confesses that he has attempted to measure his life in numbers to help make sense of it. However, he cannot reduce his mother’s presence and meaning to simple statistics.
Hadley, meanwhile, realises she forgot her backpack at the memorial and attempts to return to the wedding reception on foot, but gets lost. She borrows a phone and calls her dad, who collects her with Charlotte.
Andrew commends Hadley for taking a chance and going to see Oliver, and provides her with closure over her feelings about his divorce from her mother. He and Charlotte both apologise that their excitement to involve Hadley in their wedding unintentionally put pressure on her. Father and daughter reconcile and they all go to the reception together.
Following the memorial, Oliver's family teases him about Hadley, but Oliver insists it's futile to pursue her as the odds of their relationship working out are low. Having found Hadley's backpack, they find Andrew's wedding invitation inside and encourage Oliver to go see her. Val tells him that even if he had known that Tessa would eventually die of cancer, he wouldn't have done anything differently, and the family sets out to find Hadley.
Oliver tracks Hadley down at the reception and admits his three greatest fears: germs, the dark, and surprises, due to his mother's cancer diagnosis. She then kisses him. When Hadley asks Oliver what he's researching, he reveals it's the statistical probability of love at first sight.
The narrator then reveals that Hadley and Oliver will stay together for the rest of their lives, be married for 58 years, and have a daughter.
==Cast==
{{Cast list|<!--PER END CREDITS ORDER AND CREDITED ROLES OF *MAIN* CAST. WP:FILMCAST-->
* [[Haley Lu Richardson]] as Hadley Sullivan
* [[Ben Hardy (actor)|Ben Hardy]] as Oliver Jones
* [[Rob Delaney]] as Andrew Sullivan
* Katrina Nare as Charlotte
* [[Jameela Jamil]] as the narrator
* Luke Whoriskey as Raleigh
* [[Tom Taylor (actor)|Tom Taylor]] as Luther Jones
* [[Dexter Fletcher]] as Val Jones
* [[Sally Phillips]] as Tessa Jones
}}
==Production==
In November 2020, [[Haley Lu Richardson]] joined the cast of the film, with [[Vanessa Caswill]] directing from a screenplay by Katie Lovejoy, based upon the 2011 novel ''The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight'' by [[Jennifer E. Smith (author)|Jennifer E. Smith]], with Richardson also set to serve as an executive producer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/haley-lu-richardson-to-lead-romance-adaptation-from-to-all-the-boys-producers-exclusive|title=Haley Lu Richardson to Lead Romance Adaptation From 'To All the Boys' Producers (Exclusive)|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first=Mia|last=Galuppo|date=November 22, 2020|accessdate=January 13, 2021}}</ref> In January 2021, [[Ben Hardy (actor)|Ben Hardy]], [[Dexter Fletcher]], [[Rob Delaney]], [[Sally Phillips]] and [[Jameela Jamil]] joined the cast of the film, with [[principal photography]] beginning that same month.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ben-hardy-dexter-fletcher-join-romance-from-to-all-the-boys-producers-exclusive|title=Ben Hardy, Dexter Fletcher Join Romance From 'To All the Boys' Producers (Exclusive)|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Mia|last=Galuppo|date=January 8, 2021|accessdate=January 13, 2021}}</ref>
==Release==
In April 2022, [[Netflix]] bought worldwide rights to the film.<ref>{{cite web|title='The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight': Netflix Acquires 'To All The Boys' Producers' YA Romance Starring Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Hardy & More|url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/the-statistical-probability-of-love-at-first-sight-acquired-by-netflix-1235010141/|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|last=Grobar|first=Matt|date=April 26, 2022|access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref>  ''Love at First Sight'' premiered on Netflix on September 15, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=2023-08-30 |title=Netflix Sets Fall Movie Release Dates For ''The Killer'', ''Pain Hustlers'', ''Sly'', Wes Anderson's ''The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar'' & More |url=https://deadline.com/2023/08/netflix-movie-release-dates-fall-2023-1235530889/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref>
==Reception==
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|73|6.3|48|''Love at First Sight'' gets a lot of mileage out of its quirky narrative gimmick and the chemistry of its appealing leads; although it's undermined somewhat by a lackluster script, this is still an above-average rom-com overall.|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}<ref>{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|type=m|id=love_at_first_sight_2023|title=Love at First Sight|access-date=September 20, 2023|publisher_hide=y}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average".<ref>{{Cite Metacritic|id=love-at-first-sight|title=Love at First Sight|type=movie|access-date=September 30, 2023|publisher_hide=y}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Love at first sight]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Netflix title}}
[[Category:2020s American films]]
[[Category:2020s English-language films]]
[[Category:2023 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:2023 films]]
[[Category:2023 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:American aviation films]]
[[Category:American romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Netflix original films]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films based on romance novels]]
[[Category:Films set in London]]