A Tourist’s Guide to Love movie review

MOVIE TITLE: A Tourist’s Guide to Love

This romantic comedy is now playing on Netflix.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 34 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

A female executive at a travel agency goes through an unexpected breakup, and then travels to Vietnam on an assignment to go undercover and learn about a specific travel company for sale there.

The film was directed by K. Tsuchida, and written by Eirene Donohue.

On a personal note, I’ve been invited by a travel company that wants me to host some of their upcoming tours, and I’m super excited about it! Right now, we’re working on a Christmas Markets trip to Europe for either November or December! As soon as I get more details on the itinerary, I’ll let you know. If you’d like to be added to my list of people who’d like to tour great places with me, shoot me a note about when and where at trinaboice@gmail.com

THINGS I LIKED:

We get to travel to Vietnam in the movie! I always love seeing new places in films because it gives me ideas for my Bucket List. We get to see their ancient buildings, delicious food, beautiful countryside, fun markets, traditions, entertainment, music, and more. We also get to learn about the Vietnamese Tet celebration. This is the very first Netflix original movie to be shot in Vietnam!
Because of all the gorgeous scenery, this isn’t one of those movies that play in the background of your home while you do other things; you’ll want to actually watch it.
Rachael Leigh Cook is instantly likable in all of her films. All of her outfits were super cute on her. When is she going to start aging?
Fun fact: She and Missi Pyle starred together in the movie Josie and the Pussycats.
Other cast members include an always amusing Missi Pyle, Ben Feldman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Nondumiso Tembe, and more.
Beautiful cinematography by Jon Keng.
We get to see a lot of character growth in the leading lady. As someone who has lived and traveled abroad, I know it’s actually hard to travel and not be changed by the experiences.
Lovely music and lyrics.
There are several running jokes threaded through the story that are tied up in a nice bow in the end. (“I know a guy…”)
There are a lot of lessons we can all learn from the wise Sinh Thach character (except he should have visited his grandmother more often).

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Filled with rom-com cliches.
The entire plot is super predictable and formulaic.
It seems odd that someone who works in the travel industry would be so averse to trying new things, right?
Sadly, there wasn’t much chemistry between the leading man and the leading lady.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

No profanity.
An unmarried couple lives together.
Two of the tourists are a lesbian couple with their daughter.
We see a shirtless guy coming out of the water in slow motion.
A couple kisses.

THEMES:

Always forward, never back.
Doing the unexpected
Getting out of your comfort zone
Commitment
Starting anew
Overcoming heartache

FUNNY LINES:

There is a lot of situational humor in the movie, but none of the funny lines really grabbed my attention.

INTERESTING LINES:

“Always forward, never back.” – Sinh Thach (Scott Ly)
“A tourist wants to escape life; a traveler wants to experience it.” Sinh Thach (Scott Ly)
“I’m not selling myself short; I just know my limitations.” – Amanda Riley (Rachael Leigh Cook) “So, don’t limit yourself.” – Sinh Thach (Scott Ly)
“My sense of adventure is on hold until you tell me where you’re going.” – Amanda Riley (Rachael Leigh Cook) “That’s literally the complete opposite of a sense of adventure.” – Sinh Thach (Scott Ly)
“It’s not just another tourist site; it’s an experience.” – Amanda Riley (Rachael Leigh Cook)
“The spirits are always listening.” – Sinh Thach (Scott Ly)
“If you open yourself up to new possibilities, you’ll be surprised where life can take you.” – Sinh Thach (Scott Ly)
“There’s so much to be said for spontaneity.” – Amanda Riley (Rachael Leigh Cook)