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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Entertainment
Benjamin Lee

Book of Love review – charmless romcom is a waste of potential

A still from Book of Love shows Verónica Echegui's Maria with a pensive expression, looking downwards with her lower face resting on the back of her hand.  Sam Claflin's Henry is facing the camera, looking at her with raised eyebrows and a furrowed brow.
Verónica Echegui and Sam Claflin in Book of Love. Photograph: Amazon Prime Video

Ever since it was insisted that Netflix had single-handledly resurrected the romantic comedy despite the general hideousness of the romcoms they were releasing, streamers have churned them out by the dozen, quality be damned.

As Valentine’s Day looms, with Netflix still basking in the success of last month’s The Royal Treatment, the next week will see the teen sequel Tall Girl 2 and Turkish offering Love Tactics also added to its catalogue. At the same time, Amazon will launch the Jenny Slate-Charlie Day comedy I Want You Back and Universal will give Marry Me, J-Lo’s glossy return to the genre, a hybrid cinema-Peacock launch. It’s a theoretical feast for fans, but here’s naively hoping that they’re a damn sight better than this week’s misfiring trifle Book of Love (dropping on Amazon in the US and on Sky in the UK), a colourless background watch that never once attempts to make itself worthy of more focused attention.

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