Owen (Spike Fearn) meets a girl in a club and they have an immediate connection. When leaving, she accidentally misses a digit out of her phone number. Owen teams up with a psychology student, Emily (Angourie Rice), to find her.
Writer Rachel Hirons and director Alicia MacDonald have delivered one of the year’s biggest surprises. Sure, it follows the rom com formula towards the end and it has contrivances, particularly the unbelievable on campus TV channel, but it is mostly a delight. It has a real sense of place with its Manchester setting, and unlike American set college comedies, I found the characters, even the American Emily, entirely relatable. Owen is a guitarist who used to be in a band, and the music that fills the backdrop, is terrific.
Fearn is brilliant, bringing a believability to his character and the trauma that has shaped him. Rice who made her splash in the big screen with The Nice Guys nearly a decade ago, is a charming presence, even when she is deceiving Owen. Minnie Driver has a funny role as the University Dean and Jack Riddiford is quietly effective as Owen’s older brother.
We all will know where the story is going but it is such a fun ride.
Rating: 8 out of 10