My Movie Picks and Pans for August 2026, Part 2: "Disclosure Day," "Backrooms" and "This Time Next Year"

[I review Steven Spielberg's latest, "Disclosure Day" as well as the horror film "Backrooms" and the British rom-com "This Time Next Year."]

Disclosure Day (2026)

Another reminder that we might not be alone.

Back in 1978, Ruth Montgomery warned in her book "Strangers Among Us," that aliens had invaded human bodies as "walk ins" and lived among us. A recent HBO miniseries "Bring Me the Beauties:The Model Cult" continues that story with a documentary about a 1980's group called Eternal Values run by charismatic socialite Frederick von Mieiers who claimed to be an extraterrestrial and recruited models to his cult (he only liked pretty people). And then there has always been the whole Roswell mystery - that the U.S. government had proof that aliens had landed on earth and the government was hiding it from the American public. Well, now Steven Spielberg weighs in with this story he came up with and directed (screenplay by David Koepp) and, from his interviews about this movie, he appears to be a believer - that we are not alone and the government has been hiding that from us.

And that's what this movie is all about.

Cybersecurity specialist Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) has stolen documents and an extraterrestrial device from his employer, a secretive U.S.government contractor known as the Wardex Corporation (Waived Reporting, Development, and Extraction) run by Noah Scanlan (Colin Firth) that proves that the whole Roswell incident is true and aliens have always been with us. And the Wardex people are not happy about what Kellner has done so he is on the run with his girlfriend, Jane (Eve Hewson, Bono's daughter).

Daniel is being helped by Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), who leads a team of former Wardex employees who want to disclose the evidence to the world that extraterrestrials are here.  But Wardex and the government are going to do everything they can to keep that from happening.

Meanwhile, in Kansas City, TV meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is living with her boyfriend, Jackson (Wyatt Russell, Goldie Hawn's and Kurt Russell's son), and wondering whether she should stay in Kansas City when a cardinal flies into her home. Somehow, that incident changes Margaret and gives her a pscyhic ability to intuit people's thoughts and speak in languages she has never learned. During a live weather broadcast, Margaret unexpectedly begins speaking in an unknown language. Footage of the broadcast goes viral and draws the attention of Wardex, which identifies the language as extraterrestrial. So now, under the direction of Scanlan, Wardex is after her too. And somehow Margaret knows she needs to find Daniel - well, I guess she knows because now she is psychic - so off she goes to find him with Wardex in the guise of FBI agents after her. Turns out Daniel and Margaret discover they have a bond from the past.

Steven Spielberg knows how to make riveting movies, but there is a moment when Daniel says, "I don't understand what's happening," and I felt that way myself for the first 90 minutes of this movie. But, I was still engaged. That says something about Spielberg's movie-making abilities. I just wish he didn't take so long to tell the story. At two and a half hours, it's too long. But at least I watched it at home with a glass of wine and could take an intermission. I have a big TV so I am not as inclined to venture out to the theatre anymore. Though I want to support the movie industry, I just don't enjoy the long movies that seem to be the thing these days nor do I miss people talking behind me and the crackling of candy wrappers.

Anyway, as for the alien question, I have always wondered if there really were aliens among us and the government had proof, why would the government want to keep this a secret? What would happen if we knew the truth? Spielberg attempts to tackle that question. He seems to be saying that if we believed in aliens we would see them as supreme beings and would stop believing in God and that would divide us all further. Not sure about that. But it's a question worth asking. 

But despite my confusion and several "Huh?" moments, the all-star cast and the special effects were amazing, especially a scene with a car being dragged by a speeding train. Despite its length, the film keeps moving, is action-packed and engaging.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a long but fun ride even if I didn't know what was going on half of the time. (For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

Backrooms (2026)

A San Jose furniture store contains an entryway into another dimension...and it's not nice in there.

It's 1990 and failed architect Clark (Chiwetel Ejofor) now owns a struggling furniture store in San Jose, California. He dresses up like a pirate to promote his store on TV with the help of his assistant manager, Kat (Lukita Maxwell) and her boyfriend, Bobby (Finn Bennett).  Clark is a sad character as he struggles with his alcoholism and a dissolved marriage and blames his situation on everyone and everything else besides himself.  

Having taken up residence in the store, one night Clark notices the lights flickering mysteriously and his television functioning erratically and while checking the breaker box, Clark notices a glowing slit in a wall. Approaching it, he falls through and enters a huge backroom area filled with upended furniture, empty closets filled with empty hangers, narrow passages, an endless series of abandoned office spaces. Clark also realizes he is not alone as an unseen entity appears to chase him and he narrowly escapes back into his store. There is also someone watching him from behind the scenes.

Clark has been seeing therapist Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), who has her own issues, and when he tells Mary about the Backrooms, he is met with skepticism, so to get proof, Clark brings Kat and Bobby into the Backrooms to film their discoveries. Not good. Some bad things happen.

Later, Mary receives a cryptic message from Clark, who tells her that he is staying in the Backrooms and will not return.  Concerned about Clark, Mary visits the store and enters the Backrooms herself. Not good.  More bad things happen.

Ejofor and Reinsve are wonderfully believable as flawed characters struggling with their pasts, thrown into a kind of hell. It's like the halls of "Severance" but on acid. The film also reminded me of Jean-Paul Sartre's play "No Exit," set in a single room representing Hell. Is it hell?  Is it a nightmare?  Or is it madness?

Like "Obsession," this is a first feature film by a YouTuber, this time, Kane Parsons, whose YouTube series went viral and was picked up by A24, becoming the second highest-grossing horror film of 2026 and the fifth highest-grossing independent film of all time. The concept of Backrooms is an Internet urban legend from 2019.  Parsons wrote the screemplay along with Will Soodik and directed this highly creepy and disturbing horror film that will stay in the backrooms of your brain for awhile. Who knew huge empty well-lit rooms could be so scary?  Much of the movie is filmed from the characters' point of view as they explore the backrooms which adds to a "you are there" aspect, and in turn adds to the creepyness factor. But there are also some "WTH?" unexplained moments like, what the hell did the “Async Research Institute" with Phil (Mark Duplass) monitoring the Backrooms on cameras have to do with this and what the hell was that ending all about?

Rosy the Reviewer says...I mostly enjoyed this if I can say "enjoy" about a horror film. But if you like creepy, you will like this and you will never look at a furniture store the same way again.  (For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime or Apple+)

This Time Next Year (2024)

Quinn (Lucien Laviscount) and Minnie (Sophie Cookson) were born only two minutes apart on New Year's Day.  They meet by chance 30 years later.  Gee, do you think they will hook up?

Minnie Cooper (yes, she knows) hates her birthday.  They have all been bad birthdays and this year is no different. She just doesn't seem to have good luck.  She goes to a New Year's Eve party with her not-very-nice boyfriend, Greg (Will Hislop), gets mistaken for a server and get locked in the bathroom all night.  The next morning she is rescured by a handsome stranger, Quinn Hamilton.  

Turns out, they were both born within minutes of each other in the same London hospital but Quinn beat her to be the first baby born in 1990, thus his mother, Tara (Golda Rosheuvel), won the money awarded to the first baby, and worse, Tara stole the name Minnie's mother, Connie (Monica Dolan), was going to name her. Connie had shared with Tara that she was going to name her baby Quinn and that it was a lucky name. But Tara beat her to it, naming her baby Quinn and winning the huge cash prize for giving birth to the first baby of the year. And thus started a series of unlucky events for Minnie and Connie's huge resentment toward Tara.

Minnie runs a food truck and has had an unlucky life but she is a kind person working with seniors. Quinn, on the other hand, is a wealthy businessman who has lived a charmed life, but he is a kind person too. One can't help but wonder if Quinn was indeed a lucky name that Minnie missed out on. 

In true rom-com fashion, the two meet cute, really like each other, then a misunderstanding occurs and then they don't like each other, yada, yada, yada.  We know how it's going to go but the Brits do a good job with romantic comedies.  Their rom-coms tend to be more original, not following the Hallmark formula as much, and include fun, quirky characters, and yes, poignancy.  I mean, does "Love Actually" ring a bell?  Or "Notting Hill?"  And... actually...director Nick Moore has been working in this rom-com genre for awhile having edited both "Love Actually" and "Notting Hill."

And...actually... this film, written by Sophie Cousens (based on her book by the same name) is just as good as those. 

Cookson and Laviscount are attractive lovers who exude warmth and who together bring out the best in each other. And there is a sweet subplot involving Monica and Tara. It all unfolds with beautiful London as a backdrop. It is one of the best rom-coms I have seen this year and I am picky about my ron-coms.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this is how you do a rom-com that's worth watching - characters with some depth and some issues to resolve; unlikely friendships, quirky characters and a good message. And it doesn't hurt that the leading man is super attractive. If you like rom-coms, you don't want to miss this one! (streaming on Amazon Prime)

 

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

My Movie Picks and Pans for August 2026: A Comedy, a Rom-Com and a Documentary!

[I review Kevin Hart's new movie on Netflix "72 Hours," as well as the rom-com "You, Me & Tuscany," and the documentary "A Toxic Love Story."]

72 Hours (2026)

A 40-year-old finds himself accidentally invited to a three-day Bachelor Party with a bunch of 20-somethings. He goes. Chaos ensues.

I have always been a Kevin Hart fan, and the premise of this movie sounded funny, like a new version of "The Hangover," and I was in need of a good comedy.  Yes, it was a knock-off of "The Hangover," but sadly not funny nor a good comedy.

Joe Nixon (Hart) is a 40-something advertising executive in New York City who accidentally gets added to a group-chat of twenty-somethings mistakenly inviting him to an upcoming bachelor party in Miami. It just so happens that Joe is smarting from not getting the promotion he was expecting because he wasn't able to promote his company's vodka product effectively to young people. There was an insinuation that he is too old. So he gets the idea that if he goes to this bachelor party with these twenty-seomthings, he can get some valuable information that will help him promote the product to the younger generation and thus get his promotion. But he also kind of wants to get his youth back. 

So even though these kids are strangers, Joe takes them up on the invitation and decides to impress them by paying for a lavish Air BNB and basically footing the bill for everything.  When Joe arrives, the guys - Nick (Marcello Hernandez), Mason (Mason Gooding), Freshman (Kam Patterson) and Hunter (Ben Marshall) - are surprised Joe is "so old," so now Joe has to show them he can party as hard as they do, leading him to drugs and drinks and general chaos, including gangsters after them. Meanwhile, Hunter is nursing a broken heart, Nick is relentlessly picking on Mason about getting married and Freshman is clueless. 

Written by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Kevin Burrows, and Matt Mider and directed by Tim Story, old age and raunchy jokes abound along with projectile vomiting, a plethora of F-bombs and some helicopter penises (don't ask). Oh, and did I mention there were also whale penises and gangsters? Yawn.  You would think with four writers on board, something would have worked but not fun or funny.

And Hernandez, Patterson and Marshall are writers and performers on "Saturday Night Live," so you would think that this movie would at least be as funny as SNL, but nope. The concept was funny, the execution not. Teyana Taylor makes an appearance as Joe's girlfriend but doesn't have much to do, and Kevin plays his usual perplexed, put-upon and overwhelmed persona but it's not enough. Kevin, Kevin, Kevin.  You are a talentedly unpredictable and funny guy.  What are you doing in this predictable, unfunny movie? If this was meant to boost your career, it didn't work. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...watching this movie, I had to ask myself - When did comedies stop being funny?  I haven't seen a funny comedy in a long, long time.  And this is one of them.  If you watch it, remember, I warned you. But maybe, like Joe, I was just the wrong demographic for this party. (Netflix) 

 You, Me & Tuscany (2026)

A aspiring American chef squats in an empty Italian villa pretending to be the owner's fiance, not realizing what she has gotten herself into.

Anna Montgomery (Halle Bailey) is a young wannabe chef who put her dreams on hold after the death of her mother. Now she works as a house sitter and has the bad habit of pretending to be the owner of the house, helping herself to their clothes and other accoutrements. However, when she is caught in the act, she loses a big client.  

Drowning her sorrows in a bar, Anna meets Matteo Costa (Lorenzo de Moor), a handsome Italian real estate guy, who regales her with tales of his home in a charming village in Tuscany.  He invites her back to his room but he falls asleep before anything happens.  The next morning he is gone but leaves her a note apologizing for leaving but encouraging her to follow her dreams. Well, that's all it takes.  Off Anna goes to Tuscany and, finding accommodations in Matteo's village all booked because of a festival, Anna also gets the bright idea to stay in Matteo's empty villa. She finds the hidden housekeys, lets herself in and plans to do what she always does - pretend she lives there.  But then Matteo's mother, Gabriella (Isabella Ferrari) and his grandmother Alessia (Stefania Casini), show up.  What should she do?  Why, let's dig an even bigger hole and pretend to be engaged to Matteo.

The charade continues even after meeting Matteo's cousin, Michael (Rege-Jean Page), and finding a mutual attraction. And wouldn't you know, Matteo's father, Vincenzo (Paolo Sassanelli), owns a restaurant and Anna gets to help Matteo's father in his restaurant. Could it get any better?

But then, Matteo shows up.

Halle Bailey is a lovely young actress (her starring debut was in 2023's "The Little Mermaid"), but her gifts are not enough to save this very silly and unoriginal rom-com. Rom-com and Hallmark movie cliches abound. I know rom-coms can be silly but also charming, and, yes, even original. I enjoy them for the charming and original part. Sadly, this one lacks the charm, is not original and is actually kind of dumb.  

And if you have been wondering where hearthrob Rege-Jean Page has gone after steaming up "Bridgerton" as the Duke of Hastings for the first season ("Bridgerton" was never the same after he left), here he is. And yes, he takes his shirt off.  But even with that, all I can say is, Rege-Jean, get thee back to "Bridgerton!" Or at least to a project worthy of your talent and, yes, handsomeness. Written by Ryan and Kirsten Engle and directed by Kat Coiro, this is an unworthy piece of fluff and even the beautiful Tuscan landscape can't save it.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you can totally suspend disbelief...and I mean totally...and you miss Page, you might enjoy this but at least wait until it streams for free (update: now streaming on Peacock). I certainly wish, I not only hadn't paid to rent it, but that I hadn't spent an hour and 45 minutes watching it. (Peacock and for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime )

 

A Toxic Love Story (2026)

A newly married U.S. Marshall and his wife start receiving threatening emails supposedly from his ex-girlfriend...but are they really from her?

Angela Connell and U.S. Marshall, Ian Diaz, are newly married.  But before that, Angela had a sketchy past trying to pass herself off as an attorney and cancer victim.  But now the two are happily married but appear to be targeted by Ian's ex-girlfriend, Michelle Hadley, who they say is harassing them with emails wishing them dead using a "Lilithistruth" persona (Lilith was supposedly Adam’s first wife and when banished from Eden became a revenge-seeking demon - not good). And in Lilith fashion, she is also placing ads on Craigslist under Angela's name saying she has a rape fantasy so men with that same fantasy will come over to her house and rape her. Cops are called, restraining orders are in place but the harassment continues. Then Angela reports that a man has appeared at her home and attempted to rape her.

There are many twists and turns in this real life horror story, with interviews and police body cam footage documenting this story directed by Alexandra Lacey, who beautifully structures and paces the film to keep you absorbed to the very surprising ending.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like twisty-turny true crime documentaries, you will like this one. (Netflix)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

My Movie Picks & Pans for July 2026: "Project Hail Mary," "Voicemails for Isabelle" and "The Sheep Detectives"

[I review "Project Hail Mary," "Voicemails for Isabelle" and "The Sheep Detectives"]

Project Hail Mary (2026)

A science teacher wakes up alone on a spaceship not knowing who he is or where he is. But then he remembers and also discovers an unexpected friendship.

On Earth, the sun is losing power which could kill one third of the earth's population in 30 years. But Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller), an official from the European Space Agency, is on it. She is the leader of a secret project to save humanity and she finds her way to Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a middle school science teacher who previously submitted a paper detailing “Astrophage,” or single-cell organisms feeding on electromagnetic radiation... and if you understand that, you are better than I. 

Dr. Grace soon finds himself on the spaceship Hail Mary, on his way to try to stop the spread of the organisms before Earth is slowly destroyed, and it is basically a suicide mission, hence the spaceship's name. It's an eleven year ride and no return ticket. When Grace wakes up with full mountain man hair and beard, he realizes he is left with dead crew members and little memory of his immediate past.  But then he is contacted by an alien ship and meets a stone-like creature he names “Rocky” who is also alone on the same mission. And thus begins a buddy movie. I just wish it hadn't taken so long for Rocky to appear.

The story, written by Drew Goddard (based on the novel by Andy Weir) and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, is told through a series of flashbacks as Grace regains his memory, and we understand his relationship with Eva and how he ended up on this spaceship, though I am still not certain I understand. There is a question asked over and over in the film, "Why is a science teacher in space?" and I kept asking myself the same thing. Why him?  I know he wrote that paper, but he was a middle school science teacher, for god's sake. 

I might have gotten into this more if it wasn't for the fact that it took forever to get going.  I mean, Grace didn't meet Rocky until almost an hour into the film, and did I say that the film is almost three hours? I have a thing about movies being longer than 2 hours, and it's mostly Gosling alone on the spaceship and, much as I like him as an actor, I am not sure I like him that much all by himself for two hours talking to a headless rocklike creature, the product of puppetry and CGI. I could have lopped off at least 30 minutes of this film, and I  think it would have worked better.

And did he save the world?  By the time the movie came to an end, I didn't really care anymore.

And by the way, it was not lost on me that before I ever saw the film, much of the press was more about Ryan Gosling's cardigan than the film itself with people wondering where they could buy it or knitting one for themselves! So much for people being into the movie.

Rosy the Reviewer says...there is lots of science if you like that kind of thing, and for the rest of us, moments of fun, sentimentality and emotion, but all in all, and I know this might be an unpopular opinion, this just didn't do it for me. It was too long and too indulgent (for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime). 

Voicemails for Isabelle (2026)

When Jill's sister dies, Jill tries to stay close by continuing to call her sister's phone and leaving voice mails not realizing that a real estate agent now has her sister's phone number and is listening to Jill's voicemails.

Jill (Zoey Deutch) and her sister, Isabelle (Ciara Bravo), also known as Izzy, who has cystic fibrosis, grew up very close in Austin, Texas. Now Jill is an aspiring baker living in San Francisco but the young women stay close through calls and voice mails. Jill works under a demanding and abusive chef (Nick Offerman), so she regularly vents and relates her life to her sister.  But then Isabelle abruptly dies and Jill has difficulty accepting that, so to help her deal with her grief, she continues to leave voicemails forIsabelle, unaware that Isabelle's phone number has been reassigned to Austin-based real estate agent Wes (Nick Robinson), a guy whose ethics are sometimes in question.

At first, Wes is confused about receiving Jill's voice mails but eventually realizes that Isabelle is dead, but he can't stop listening and becomes invested in Jill's life, hearing about her dates with her co-worker Arthur (Lucas Gage) and dating podcaster Tyler (Toby Sandeman), and her desire to become a baker. So Wes convinces his boss to send him on a work trip to San Francisco but his real mission it to meet Jill.  They do meet but, of course, Wes doesn't tell Jill that he knows all about her because he has been listening to her voice mails.

In typical rom-com fashion, love ensues, then trouble ensues when Jill discovers that Wes has been listening to her voicemails to Isabelle and then...well, if you are a rom-com fan, you know where this will eventually go. But it's an enjoyable and poignant journey getting there.  

However, I have to say.  You know how sometimes you call a friend and want to leave a voicemail and you get a message that you can't leave a message because your friend's inbox is full because they haven't cleared it out?  I couldn't help but think...if Isabelle is dead, she can't clean out her inbox so at some point, wouldn't you think Jill would wonder about that? 

But that's just me and how my mind works, and if Jill had realized that and stopped leaving voicemails, then we wouldn't have this movie written and directed by Leah McKendrick, which was a sweet little journey with attractive lovers, an original romantic concept, beautiful San Francisco views with some "Top Chef" and "Hell's Kitchen" vibes thrown in and, though it's an exploration of grief, it's also often funny.  Something for everyone here.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a very cute and satisfying romantic diversion (Netflix).

The Sheep Detectives (2026)

A flock a sheep try to solve a murder.  Yes, you heard me.

In the English village of Denbrook, shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) spends his time reading murder mysteries to his flock of sheep. You heard me. He is very close to his sheep and all of them have names. He doesn't like other humans that much and enjoys the company of his sheep.  Turns out, unknown to Geroge, the sheep can understand him, and they love listening to the stories and actually discuss who they think the murderer is in the mysteries they are hearing.

And it's a good thing the sheep have been paying attention to those murder mysteries, because one morning, George is discovered dead outside his trailer. Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), the town's only police officer, concludes that George was poisoned.

In true Agatha Christie style, the usual suspects are rounded up for the reading of George's will, which turns out to be a new one. Tim is there along with George's solicitor Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson), the Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), the appropriately named butcher Ham Gilyard (Conleth Hill), innkeeper Beth Pennock (Hong Chau), neighboring shepherd Caleb Merrow (Tosin Cole) and Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine), a reporter who just happens to be in town for the local festival. It comes to light that George had a twin son and daughter who were sent away for adoption after their mother died in childbirth. The daughter, Rebecca Hampstead (Molly Gordon), also just happens to be in attendance.  She had reconnected with George and had just arrived from the United States to visit him for the first time. The twin son, Peter Van Vuuren, who lives in South Africa, is also there but only by phone. They all learn that George was secretly a millionaire after selling the patent for a medicine he had invented and the new will names Rebecca as the beneficiary instead of the animals rights charity that had been in the first will.

All of them had issues with George or something to gain if he died.  So who had the means, motive, and opportunity to kill George?

The sheep immediately realize that Tim is a bungling detective, so they decide to solve the mystery on their own, led by crime aficionado ewe Lily (voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and the ram Mopple (voice of Chris O'Dowd), along with Cloud (voice of Regina Hall) and the loner Sebastian (voice of Bryan Cranson) whom George rescued from a carnival. Other sheep voices include Brett Goldstein playing the twins Reggie and Ronnie; Patrick Stewart as Sir Richfield; Bella Ramsay as Zora; and Rhys Darby as Wool-Eyes. George hadn't read them all of those murder mysteries for nothing. They are on the case.

Speaking of Sebastian, turns out he was a "winter lamb," considered an outcast among sheep.  If you are a sheep, you are supposed to be born in the spring.  Spring good, winter bad.  There is also a little lamb in the flock who was born in winter, who had been rejected by the flock. And, boy, did that little guy get to me.

The anthropomorphic sheep are voiced by an all-star cast and, with the help of AI, are amazing and fun to watch, and yes, poignant.  This film, based on the book "Three Bags Full" by Leonie Swan (screenplay by Craig Maizin) and directed by Kyle Balda, reminded me of the 1995 movie "Babe," though the production values here are much more sophisticated. Speaking of production, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the directors of "Project Hail Mary (see review above)" are two of the producers of the film. 

I had been looking forward to this movie because I thought the concept was a fun one, and I was looking forward to Hugh Jackman interracting with the sheep, but that was not to be as he was killed off early on, so I was a bit disappointed in that, as well as the sometimes overly broad humor, silliness and sentimentality, but overall, it was a fun family movie.

Rosy the Reviewer says...so, yes, the humor is broad and the film is at times very silly and overly sentimental, but...okay, I loved those darn sheep, especially that little "winter lamb," and it got me. There were some tears at the end. (Amazon Prime).

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

If You Have Been Missing Rom-Coms... (I know I have)!

[I review the rom-coms "Office Romance," "Jane Austen Wrecked My Life" and "La Dolce Villa."]

I know rom-coms can be formulaic and often silly, but sometimes there is nothing better to take your mind off of the trials of the world than some love stories you can count on, especially when they take place in romanic locations. And here are three good ones (well, maybe the office isn't romantic but Paris, Italy and the English Countryside certainly are)! 

Office Romance (2026)

Jackie Cruz (Jennifer Lopez) is the CEO and President of Air Cruz, a major airline company founded by her father. She runs a tight ship especially when it comes to office romances.  But she never expected to meet Daniel Blanchflower (Brett Goldstein).

Jackie (Lopez) is under a lot of pressure from her company board and her demanding father (Edward James Olmos).  She desperately wants her father's respect, so she is a no-nonsense manager who enforces a rigid, anti-fraternization policy.  And so goes her personal life as well. It's no-nonsense, rigid and very isolated.

Enter reserved and very British Daniel Blanchflower (Goldstein), who is newly hired as the company's legal counsel and wouldn't you know?  He is assigned a high-stakes litigation case that forces him to work closely with Jackie. Sparks fly and now Jackie has to deal with her own fraternization issues.

Well, you know where this is headed, right?  Let the rom-com tropes begin!  Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love.  Boy and girl break up because there is some kind of misunderstanding or challenge that needs to be overcome.  Boy and girl get back together.

Yes, those tropes are in play here to a certain extent, but what sets this rom-com apart from Hallmark and other lightweight love stories is the smart writing by Goldstein and writing partner, Joe Kelly, the smart direction of Ol Parker, interesting characters like Jackie's very pregnant assistant, Sydney (Betty Gilpin), who adds a fun comic element and almost steals the show, and the side plot about the family matter that has brought Daniel to America.  It's not your usual rom-com, though it's got rom and it's got com.

J-Lo was made for rom-coms and writer/actor Brett Goldstein must agree with me.  He wrote this movie for her.  And this is the kind of movie I enjoy seeing her in. She is a beautiful, luminous woman who radiates warmth from the screen. I think she actually looks better now at 56 than she did when she first starred in "Selena."  Who wouldn't fall in love with her?  I did. I have been a big fan of hers from the start. But this is a bit of a departure for J-Lo, even in the rom-com genre.  In her past rom-coms, she would usually start out needing to improve her life - think "Maid in Manhattan" or "Second Act." - but here she is already at the top as a CEO. She just needs a little romance and you know (whisper)...sex. And Goldstein makes a great leading man and foil for Jackie, though I had a hard time trying to forget him as Roy Kent on "Ted Lasso," with that colorful language of his. But here he is toned down, handsome, sensitive and very sexy and the two have great chemistry.  And rumor has it that Goldstein and J-Lo have a real life romance.  I want that to be true.

Rom-coms used to be everywhere in the "old days."  Where are the new versions of "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail" when you are craving a romantic getaway?  Rom-coms seem to have gone the way of the albatross in lieu of super heroes, sci fi and horror, but perhaps the success of this film will bring them back. We need those kinds of films when we are tired of super heroes, sci fi and horror and, yes, the sometimes horror of real life.

Rosy the Reviewer says...got my rom-com fix, and I have to say that this is one of the best rom-coms I have seen in a long time (Netflix).

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (2024)

A lonely Parisian bookseller yearns to be a writer but keeps not only messing that up but her love life as well.

Agathe (Camille Rutherford) is a French bookseller who works at the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company in Paris and aspires to be a writer.  She lives with her sister and her sister's young son and cycles everywhere, as she is too anxious to ride in cars anymore since her parents were killed in a car accident in which she was injured. Agathe is a strange duck. She is a huge Jane Austen fan and has a difficult time relating to her own real life, feeling like she is living in the wrong century. She has no romantic life, instead only manifesting itself in her writing and yearning for a love story worthy of a Jane Austen heroine.

One evening, after Agathe imagines a handsome naked man in a restaurant, she is inspired to write the beginning of a romance novel in English.  Her friend, Félix (Pablo Pauly), with whom Agathe is very close, reads her work and secretly sends it to the Jane Austen Residency, a two-week writing retreat held in England. When they accept her, Agathe reluctantly gets into a car and lets Félix drive her to the Channel ferry. As she is about to board, they kiss for the first time.

Agathe is met at the ferry by Oliver (Charlie Anson), a distant descendant of Jane Austen's (his parents run the Residency). There is a meet cute moment when en route to the Residency, Oliver's car breaks down and they have to spend the night in the car. Agathe insults him in French under her breath, and he surprises her when he informs her he is fluent in French. Oops. And he also informs Agathe he thinks Jane Austen is overrated. Double oops. The next morning they are rescued by an apple-cart.

This is one of those romances where there is hostility at the beginning of the relationship. Oliver is an arrogant Mr. Darcy type and Agathe doesn't like him but slowly a connection develops.  At the same time, though, Agathe experiences writer's block and Felix shows up creating a dilemma for Agathe.

Will Oliver and Agathe fall in love?  Or will she choose Felix?  And will she finish her novel?

Written and directed by Laura Piani in her feature debut, this is a quiet film, beautifully atmospheric, but how can you go wrong with the beauty of Paris and the English countryside looking like a Constable painting at every turn? Rutherford, who reminded me a bit of a younger version of Katie Holmes, is believable and charming as the awkward, anxiety-ridden Agathe.and Anson reminded me of a young Hugh Grant, perfect for a sweet, but complicated, rom-com. 

What sets this apart from other rom-coms is that this is not just about a young woman finding love but more about a young woman finding her artistic path.  You go girl!

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you love Jane Austen, Paris and the English countryside, you will love this romantic homage to literature and writing. (Netflix in English and French with English subtitles).

La Dolce Villa (2025)

An American businessman travels to Italy to stop his daughter from spending all of her money restoring an old villa, not realizing what is in store for him.

Fifty-something American widower Eric Field (Scott Foley) returns to Italy to try to stop his 24-year-old daughter, Liv (Maia Reficco), from blowing her inheritance on rebuilding a villa. Eric has taken time off for the first time in years from his restaurant support company out of concern that Liv is possibly jeopardizing her future. Liv has had a difficult time deciding what she wants to do.  She has been spending time in Italy as a tutor in Milan, a nanny in Florence and even worked harvesting olives, but then she discovered the village of Montezaraand decided she wanted to settle down there. 

Montezara is part of the 1-euro Housing Plan, a new economic plan to help remote parts of Italy. It involves selling abandoned heritage villas "as is" for one Euro, so Eric and Liv check out the potential properties, and while doing so, meet the town mayor, Francesca (Violante Placido). She is wholeheartedly in favor of the 1-euro project, hoping to revitalize Montezara. They also meet Bernardo (Tommaso Basili), the local surveyor whose job it is to oversee construction projects and he is not in favor of the project, concerned about non-italians buying up properties.

Liv chooses a property and Eric decides to handle his business remotely and stay to help Liv with the renovation despite a tense on-going relationship with her and business problems at home.  As the renovation moves forward, Eric gets an idea of turning the property into a cooking school, but more problems arise and not just with the cooking school plan. As Eric starts to have romantic feelings for Francesca, Bernardo is not happy to have a rival for Francesca's affection. 

So who will Francesca choose?  And will Liv and Eric strengthen their father/daughter bond?  And what about that cooking school?

The actors are believable and Foley and Placido make a handsome couple.  Placido is a particularly lovely actress.  Hubby was drooling over her the whole time! 

Written by Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galanoy and directed by Mark Waters, this film is light as a feather with some Hallmark Channel vibes, but I appreciated the generational romance aspect: we have Eric and Francesca, two people of a certain age in a romance, but also Liv and a local young chef are attracted to one another. It's also a father/daughter story as Liv and Eric work through their problems. But this is also a love letter to Italy as the film is visually beautiful and showcases the beauty of Tuscany (the town of Pienza stands in for Montezara).

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like your romance set in a beautiful Italian location with some reno and Italian house hunting thrown in, and you don't mind some predictable plot lines, you will enjoy this light, but charming rom-com. ( in English and Italian with English subtitles - Netflix)

See You Next Time!

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