Resort to Love
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| Resort to Love | |
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 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Tsuchida |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Tabi McCartney |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Greg Gardiner |
| Edited by | Emma E. Hickox |
| Music by | Laura Karpman |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Resort to Love is a Netflix original movie, written by Tabi McCartney and Dana Schmalenberg. It follows Erica (Christina Milian), an aspiring pop star in the midst of a career standstill, who ends up landing a gig as the entertainment lead at a luxurious island resort where, unbeknownst to her, her ex-fiancé is having his wedding.
Plot[edit]
Aspiring pop star Erica Wilson's dreams are crushed when her musical partner and producer bails on his album release party, which would've started her career. Down the street, the devastated Erica is crying in disarray with her best friend, Amber, when a couple of buskers begins to play "No One" by Alicia Keys. This causes Erica to remember when Jason, her ex-fiancé of 4 years, pulled the rug out from under her, breaking up with her right before their wedding. The song makes Erica all the more hysterical as it was supposed to play during the first dance at her wedding.
Tired of seeing her friend let go of her romantic and professional life, Amber, a social media influencer, books Erica a gig working as an entertainer at an upscale resort in Mauritius. It takes a while for Erica to accept Amber's offering, but after a bit of convincing, she takes the job.
There, Erica's greeted by the resort's jack-of-all-trades, Barrington, who is also in her band. She is hopeful the island will be paradise and a nice way to leave all her troubles behind, but she soon has a change of heart after learning that she has been hired as a wedding singer. Eria's first performance is subpar and she doubts her ability to keep her job. Barrington advises her to sing something that makes her happy, and there is a montage of Erica singing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", embracing her surroundings, and making the best of her time on the island.
Erica runs into Jason and learns that he's there for his wedding weekend. Shocked, she knows she's going to have to sing at their wedding, so she tries to avoid running into him until then. Later, Erica meets Caleb, a retired Navy SEAL who saves her from drowning. She also learns that he is Jason's brother, who she hadn't met previously, there for the wedding.
Erica meets the bride-to-be, Beverly, and the rest of the wedding party. Although Erica and Jason try to avoid each other as much as possible at the resort, Erica winds up spending a good chunk of time with them. As Beverly thinks Erica is just an old friend, not Jason's ex, she invites her to do activities with them. Erica spends a majority of her time with Caleb, getting to know each other and connecting romanticly.
The night of Beverly's bachelorette party, she learns of Jason and Erica's past, which cases drama before their big day. However, this is soon resolved after Erica explains herself in Beverly's high-speed getaway van. After making up, Beverly and Jason get married, and Erica sings "No One" by Alicia Keys at the reception. At the end of the song, Erica acknowledges her new love, Caleb, by planting a kiss on him.[1]
Cast[edit]
- Christina Milian as Erica Wilson
- Jay Pharoah as Jason King
- Sinqua Walls as Caleb King
- Tymberlee Hill as Amber
- Christiani Pitts as Beverly Strattford
- Karen Obilom as Janelle Strattford
- Alexander Hodge as Christian
- Kayne Lee Harrison as Cre
- Ruth Nadler-Nir as Teen girl
- Christophe St-Lambert as Travis
- Jeremy Boado as Instagrammer
- Jeryl Prescott Sales as Naomi King
- Pope Jerrod as Francis King
- TJ Power as Barrington
Production[edit]
The film was directed by Steven K. Tsuchida, who has directed other popular works like Cobra Kai, On My Block, Grown-ish, Haters Back Off, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.[2][better source needed] It was produced by Maggie Malina, Jeremy Kipp Walker, and Alicia Keys.[1] Filming took place on the island of Mauritius in late 2020. Viewers can stay at the same resort where the movie was filmed, the Constance Prince Maurice.[3][4][better source needed]
Reception[edit]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 59% of 17 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.80/10.[5] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]
Lisa Kennedy of Variety wrote: "To say that Resort to Love is slight would be akin to snatching a romance novel out of your closest friend's hands while she sits reading and sipping a margarita on a beach. Why would you do that? It's summer. Leave the girl her pleasures."[1][7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Kennedy, Lisa (July 29, 2021). "'Resort to Love' Review: A Tricky Love Triangle Draws Lines in the Sand in Netflix Rom-Com". Variety.
- ^ “Resort to Love.” IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12929990/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm.
- ^ Segal, Tobey Grumet. “Where Was 'Resort to Love' Filmed?” Decider, Decider, 2 Aug. 2021, https://decider.com/2021/07/30/where-was-resort-to-love-filmed/.
- ^ "Resort to Love". July 29, 2021 – via IMDb.
- ^ "Resort to Love (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Resort to Love Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ León, Concepción de (July 29, 2021). "'Resort to Love' Review: A Struggling Singer in Paradise". The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
