Minnie Cooper (Sophie Cookson) believes that she’s cursed. When she finds herself missing a New Year’s celebration and locked in a bathroom, questioning her relationship with her idiot boyfriend, she unexpectedly reconnects with Quinn (Lucien Laviscount), a man whose life has been intertwined with her own. Born a minute apart, Minnie has always believed that Quinn stole her name, and as they grew up their worlds moved further apart. Now back in each other’s orbit, the two realise that there may be more between them than just platonic friendship.
‘This Time Next Year’ is based on Sophie Cousens’ book of the same name, and Cousens has adapted it for the big screen. Directed by Nick Moore, ‘This Time Next Year’ is your typical run-of-the-mill romantic comedy that sets its sights on ‘Bridget Jones’ style glory but falls somewhat short. The film moves along with gusto, hanging on the eccentric performance of Sophie Cookson as central catastrophe Minnie. Stuck in a dead-end relationship with a loser and holding back her bakery business that she runs with her friend, Minnie drifts through life believing she has very little effect on her situation.
Things pick up when Minnie reconnects with Quinn, her once childhood friend and now smooth-talking suited career man, and the two try to navigate their changing feelings for one another. Both in relationships, their path to true love is anything but smooth and that’s where ‘This Time Next Year’ starts hitting all of the expected beats. There are some good moments of humour along the way but the formulaic plot leaves little in the way of surprises. You can guess where it’s going to end up within minutes of the film starting, and not even the solid cast can pull the wool over your eyes.
The two leads – Sophie Cookson and Lucien Laviscount – are perfectly watchable. Cookson borrows her performance from any English rom-com you can bring to mind while Laviscount brings a performance not unlike the one he gives in ‘Emily in Paris’. Together they have some chemistry but it’s not off the charts, and that makes it harder to root for them to be together. The two actors are surrounded by recognisable faces including ‘Bridgerton’ star Golda Rosheuvel as Quinn’s mother, Monica Dolan and John Hannah as Minnie’s parents and ‘The Greatest Showman’ star Keala Settle as put-upon bakery worker Bev.
‘This Time Next Year’ is the kind of rom-com that you’d expect to find on Netflix to pass a lazy Sunday afternoon. It’s not terrible but it’s not particularly remarkable either. The film-makers are likely hoping that the appeal of Laviscount will pull in the viewers, and I’m sure he will, but there’s not much here that you haven’t seen before. If something pleasant to pass the time is what you’re after, then you’ll enjoy ‘This Time Next Year’ but just don’t expect anything revolutionary.
Cast: Sophie Cookson, Lucien Laviscount, Golda Rosheuvel, Monica Dolan, John Hannah, Keala Settle, Mandip Gill Director: Nick Moore Writer: Sophie Cousens Certificate: 15 Duration: 116 mins Released by: Signature Entertainment Release date: 3rd June 2024
