All of You, 2024.
Directed by William Bridges.
Starring Brett Goldstein, Imogen Poots, Zawe Ashton, and Steven Cree.
SYNOPSIS:
Brett Goldstein and Imogen Poots star in a stirring near-futuristic romance as best friends who harbor an unspoken love for one another even after a test matches one of them up with their supposed soulmate.
Brett Goldstein has made a name for himself as a writer/actor on Ted Lasso and Shrinking. He now writes and stars in All of You, a science fiction, romantic drama that follows Goldstein’s Simon and his friend since university Laura. The pair have been friends for years but never ended up together. We open with Simon driving Laura to ‘the test’ which sets people up with their ideal partners. This is the main sci-fi element of the film with the rest more or less taking place in a London viewers will be able to recognise.
Goldstein and Poots are believable as friends who’s relationship rises and falls throughout, the heart of the film. Others come and go in their lives like Zawe Ashton’s Andrea but this is really where the film finds its focus. The chemistry between the leads makes up for some of the familiarity in the premise and script. Intriguingly there are a number of time jumps both short and longer in nature, meaning it can take time to adjust to where we find ourselves in the characters lives. These segments may have worked better as a miniseries.
Goldstein leans into what works so well for him in Ted Lasso as Roy Kent. Perhaps not as grumpy here but naturally delivering his dialogue and bringing plenty of charm to the role. Sarah is the less developed of the two, perhaps deliberately as we follow from Simon’s perspective she can at times feel manipulative without meaning to adding an extra dynamic to the relationship.
There is a simplicity and charm to All of You and while Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Black Mirror have found a better way to balance the background sci-fi elements and romance. Tonally the film delivers the laughs when it needs to but finds a solid balance and when to hit hard.
All of You might not break new ground but there is a sense of charm to it and Goldstein in particular shows his strengths as both a writer and actor. Some of its choices may be questionable and the sci-fi element isn’t dived into enough to feel necessary but there is still plenty to admire in the film.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
