Review of Forever My Girl (2018) by Dave M — 28 Jan 2018

"Forever My Girl" (PG, 1:44) is a romance which feels like a Nicholas Sparks adaptation (even though it isn't) and makes no apologies for its own sweet sappiness. Relative unknown Alex Roe stars as Liam, a small-town Louisiana boy who becomes a big country music star... after leaving his high school girlfriend at the altar.

Less than a year removed from her breakthrough role in "Happy Death Day", Jessica Rothe plays Josie, the jilted bride who moves on with her life, makes something of herself and is raising an adorable and precocious daughter named Billy (Abby Ryder Fortson, from HBO's "Togetherness" and the "Ant-Man" movies). The people of the town of St. Augustine (simply called "Saint" by its tight-knit residents) have supported Josie by joining her in their disgust for Liam, even to the point that Josie is closer to Liam's dad (John Benjamin Hickey) than Liam is.

When Liam's best friend from high school dies suddenly, he goes back to Saint for the funeral. As he shirks his professional responsibilities, battles the demands of his manager and publicist and humorously struggles to function as a regular person again, Liam attempts to work through his home town's negative feelings towards him, make amends to those he hurt and work his way back into their lives.

The movie, written and directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf, starts off clichéd, predictable and even a little silly, but those attributes are soon largely overcome by the film's sweetness, which is significantly enhanced by its winning cast. "Forever My Girl" arrives without pretense and doesn't try to be something that it isn't. If you're looking for an enjoyable romance, then this may be your movie. Still, a ground-breaking piece of cinema, this one is not, but many Movie Fans will be okay with that. "B".