Thomas Mann’s beguiling performance drives this Emma Roberts vehicle, but the romantic comedy creaks under the weight of its coincidences.
A few coincidences can have their charms, but the romantic comedy “About Fate,” directed by Marius Vaysberg and written by Tiffany Paulsen (“Holidate”), creaks under the weight of a pile of improbabilities.
Margot (Emma Roberts), a real estate agent, and Griffin (Thomas Mann), a public defender, each greet the day before New Year’s Eve with heightened hopes for their dates with their significant others that night. Their split-screen hopes about a wedding proposal lead us to believe that they are each other’s person. Those who have seen the trailer know better.
At dinner, Margot is dumped by her boyfriend, Kip (the martial artist and action star Lewis Tan). The next day they are expected at the wedding of Margot’s judgy sister (a spiky Britt Robertson). Things go only slightly better for Griffin. Sitting nearby at the chain restaurant in Boston where his father and grandfather successfully popped the question, he proposes to his girlfriend, Clementine (a social media maven and model played by Madelaine Petsch). Excited, she cuts him off and insists Griffin do it again at their New Year’s Eve party so she can share the moment with her online following.
Fate, or something like it, finds the nice guy accompanying the emotionally messy blonde gal to her sister’s nuptials, pretending to be Kip. Misunderstandings, mayhem and the tug of a deeper affection ensue. It would all be pretty boilerplate, but Mann’s anchoring appeal — his lean into Griffin’s modesty and decency — saves the movie from a sorrier fate.
About Fate
Rated R for some randy language and a toss-off line about a sex act. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes. In theaters and available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
