Two unconvincing love stories for the price of one
The other story, set in the present day, follows Stirling’s relationship with her old friend and business partner Fiona (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) as they try to come to terms with the death of their son.
The second romance is set in the modern-day between single gal Ellie (Felicity) and fusspot Rory (Nabhan Rizwan). Both work at a London newspaper office. They are both struggling with their personal lives and their careers. They are also both attracted to each other. However, they are not sure if they should continue to be together because of different things that have happened in their past.
The two stories are connected when Ellie discovers correspondence from Anthony to Jennifer in the archive department of her workplace. It soon becomes clear to her that the pair were in love but that something happened to break up their extra-marital relationship. As she works hard to discover the backstory behind their failed romance, the film flashbacks into the past to give the viewer insight into what actually happened between them.
The two love stories in “Love, Simon” don’t quite work together. We spend more time with Jennifer and Anthony than Ellie and Rory, but we only become invested in one of the romances. As such, we never quite buy into the relationship between the modern-day couple as very little seems to happen to make them fall in love with one another. ..
Jennifer and Anthony’s relationship is unconvincing because she is a socialite who appears to be in a loveless marriage and he is a foreign correspondent who turns up at her luxurious beach resort in France. It’s not long before the two have an affair and she is given the choice of spending her days with Laurence, the man who she probably married for financial security, or Anthony, who wants to whisk her away to New York. ..
After falling head over heels in love with Anthony, Jennifer intends to do something but it’s all rather sudden. She doesn’t even know if he picks his toenails in bed!
The story follows Jennifer as she deals with the aftermath of her car accident, her lost memory, and the challenges of trying to rekindle a relationship with her old lover. Despite the obstacles in their way, they are able to overcome them and eventually resume their relationship.
In the present day, Ellie learns of their doomed relationship and tries to reunite them. She also tries to deal with her feelings towards Rory and the problems that are muddying their chances of a happily-ever-after. Does she manage to mend one relationship and save her own? That would be telling – you need to read our Ending Explained article to find out the answer. But if you have seen this type of movie before, you shouldn’t expect many surprises as the lives of the two couples intertwine as the story reaches its conclusion. ..
The movie isn’t a bad one. There is a good sense of time and place when flashing back to the 60s, and there are interesting parallels between the two time periods. The director wisely uses some of the same locations, and it’s interesting to see how they change over the passage of time. ..
The four main leads are good and they are surrounded by a decent supporting cast, including the late Ben Cross as the older Anthony and newly-announced Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa, who briefly appears as one of Ellie’s work colleagues. It’s the performances that lift the movie as without actors of this calibre, this would have been much less interesting.
The Last Letter From Your Lover is a film that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. The story is well-told and the actors are all very attractive. However, if you’re looking for a love story that you can believe in, you might not be as satisfied with the end result. This film has a heart-wrenching sequence that takes place at a train station, but it’s still an enjoyable watch.
