Searchlight and Hulu add another strong film to their growing library with Rye Lane. The Hulu romantic comedy explores the first meeting between Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson) and takes them across London as they tackle heartbreak, untapped potential, and some light mischief.
It’s one of the best romantic comedies to watch on Hulu right now because it’s effortlessly cool and extremely sweet and cute. It’s a wholesome romantic comedy that’s fun to watch. I adored watching Rye Lane, and now I want Hulu to just continue to buy and distribute smaller-budget and international romantic comedies.
I also have many other thoughts that aren’t just “Hulu, buy more romantic comedies like this.” Let’s get into them.
South London Feels Like A Main Character In Rye Lane
Rye Lane market is a real place in South London, but you don’t have to be from Europe or London to know this fact because the film very much makes it apparent that this is also a love letter to that area. Like great movies set in New York or great movies set in Paris, Rye Lane highlights the area in an organic and beautiful way. You feel the vibrations of the city without having it distract from the main focus of the film.
South London isn’t just a setting in Rye Lane but a character that helps push the story and create this joyous atmosphere. The film feels bright and vibrant because the city feels so three-dimensional and critical to this story. Yas and Dom are products of their environment but in the best sort of way. It helps define them.
This Film Is Such A Good Addition To The Walk, Talk, And Fall In Love Romantic Genre
There is a genre of films and TV shows that focus on letting two characters get to know each other by just walking and talking over the course of an episode or movie. The Before Sunrise movies are the best-known example of this type of film, but Before We Go, Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, and Once are other examples of these types of films. We also have one of the best episodes of Dawson’s Creek, Dawson’s Creek Season 6 Episode 15, “Castaways” and Looking Season 2 Episode 5, “Looking for Truth” as examples of episode versions of this genre. This style of storytelling is a simple one but very effective. It allows the characters to just express themselves while also truly getting to know each other.
It’s an easy way to fall in love or remind these characters why they used to be in love. Rye Lane is an evolved version of this type of genre film. Yas and Dom do the whole walking, talking, and falling in love thing but there are some new quirky elements added to it. It makes it a much more engaging and dynamic experience for the viewers.
Rye Lane Is Such A Whimsical And Positive Rom-Com
I wouldn’t automatically see London as a whimsical location, but Rye Lane makes it feel that way. It feels like it’s straight from a technicolor dream. A dream where just living a normal life can be magical depending on how you approach and explore it. Despite dealing with breakups, Yas and Dom treat the city as an adventure and endless playland. This gives the film such a positive and intoxicating vibe.
I want to see the world through that whimsical lens, even while nursing a broken heart. I guess this could also mean that one of the film’s theses is that the world can become special and bright again when you’re with the right person. Dom and Yas definitely feed off of each other’s energy.
I Love How Stories Are Told in This Movie
Rye Lane takes a very clever approach to tell stories. Instead of just saying this happened and that happened, it puts these characters into their stories. I love that technique because it makes the stories more fascinating, especially since there are added theatrical elements to each of the main breakup stories. This shows that each character is performing a little to impress the other.
Dom wants Yas to know the pain of his best friend sleeping with his girlfriend. Yas wants Dom to see her reclaim her power by dumping her sorry boyfriend. They both tell an engaging breakup story and show the characters integrated into them as they’re telling them. This makes for some fun visuals but also gives the stories another layer and dimension.
I Have To Respect A Movie That Has Callback References
Easter eggs are common in everything from the new Grease series to any Marvel property, but it’s rare that a movie or TV show references itself as it happens. What I mean is that Rye Lane does several callbacks to earlier scenes or details within the movie. We see this with the fake karaoke scene becoming a real karaoke scene, or Lewis making an appearance, and many other “remember that thing we mentioned a while ago, well here it is again” moments. And I think this is different from when there is a little thread that pays off in the end. I would consider the boat scene at the end that type of example.
The karaoke scene feels more like a callback instead of a payoff from a reference or foreshadowing. This makes these little moments more clever because they seem like throwaway scenes or lines only to have major significance later in the movie.
Dom And Yas May Have The Worst Film Exes Of All-Time
Cheating on someone with their best friend, especially a really dumb best friend, should be illegal. It’s just as bad as cheating on someone with one of their family members. Dom’s ex-girlfriend and ex-best friend seem like the worst it can get… until we meet Yas’s ex-boyfriend. These are probably some of the worst movie exes of all time.
They’re both insensitive, self-involved, cruel, and just terrible humans. Neither of their exes has any redeeming qualities. It’s a surprise that Dom is able to forgive them because if it was me, I would need a new best friend and would trash my ex to everyone who would listen.
Other Thoughts
I could live in the Rye Lane cinematic universe forever. Therefore, I have lots more thoughts.
- The Wes Anderson joke is so funny because the setting feels like a slightly more urban version of a Wes Anderson film.
- Dom’s actual playlist is more like my own playlist, so I saw nothing wrong with his taste in music.
- The entire cookout/family party scenes are definitely the funniest parts in Rye Lane.
- This film is very subtle about the cameos. I screamed (internally) when I saw Colin Firth working at the Love, Guac’tually, and then saw Munya Chawawa singing at the restaurant. You almost miss them if you turn away.
- Rye Lane definitely has to be one of the cutest romantic comedies of all time. It’s just so charming.
- I almost cried happy tears when the run-time was only 82 minutes. It is the perfect amount of time to tell this story.
Rye Lane is the kind of light and entertaining Hulu romantic comedy that we need to see more. Stream Rye Lane on Hulu.
