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A Tourist's Guide to Love

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A Tourist's Guide to Love
Official release poster
Directed bySteven K. Tsuchida
Written byEirene Tran Donohue
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJon Keng
Edited byLauren Connelly
Music by
  • Jina Hyojin An
  • Shirley Song
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • April 21, 2023 (2023-04-21)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages

A Tourist's Guide to Love is a 2023 romantic comedy film directed by Steven K. Tsuchida and written by Eirene Tran Donohue. It stars Rachael Leigh Cook, Scott Ly, Missi Pyle, Ben Feldman, Nondumiso Tembe and Andrew Barth Feldman.

Filming was done on location in Vietnam in April 2022, and it was released on April 21, 2023, on Netflix.

Plot

Amanda Riley, a travel industry professional, agrees to undertake a covert mission to gain insight into Vietnam's tourism sector after her five year romantic relationship with John ends unexpectedly. Her boss Mona convinces her to get a manicure for what she is convinced will be a proposal, however he proposes a hiatus so he can take a position in Ohio.

Amanda is met at the Vietnamese airport by her tour guide for Saigon Silver Star, Sinh, and his cousin Anh, whose father owns the company. In the evening she meets the other package tour travelers. As Amanda needs to keep her purpose for the trip hidden, she proposes they all not reveal their professions as a sort of game.

Mona has armed Amanda with lots of material and proposed itineraries, which Sinh consistantly rejects. He insists she trust his choices. On Amanda's voyage of self-discovery she starts to get out of her comfort zone by trying to barter, tasting exotic foods and learning to cross a busy street without a crosswalk.

Sinh sees that Amanda sells herself short, and believes that, rather than trying to follow a rigorous itinerary to be flexible and see where the day takes them. He sees value in being more impulsive and go with the moment. At a temple they'd wanted to enter, as preparation for the lion dance for the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration Tết is taking place inside. Sinh pulls some strings so their group can watch exclusively.

At a special shop, most of the group gets clothes made for them. As is customary for Tết to wear something new with bright colors to invite luck and prosperity, even Amanda has a dress made for her. As the others are resting before dinner, Sinh takes Amanda to a tiny street decorated with bright paper lanterns. There, Sinh opens up about himself. He'd moved to the US as a child, but returned after college. At first Sinh had worked in his father's restaurant, but became a tour guide when his uncle asked for his help and so, discovered his calling.

By the water, enjoying the day, Sinh and Amanda try out a round boat and end up falling in. Soon afterwards, Anh gives them the bad news that getting tickets for the Golden Hand Bridge would take hours, so again Sinh improvises. They go to the My Son Sanctuary, Hindu ruins which had been built over a thousand years.

As Amanda feels inspired, Sinh takes them off the beaten path to his grandmother's village. There, they stay in locals' homes and his grandma, sensing chemistry between him and Amanda, invites her to stay at her's. The group helps the village prepare for Tết by cleaning, decorating and preparing a feast.

Anh accompanies their grandmother to act as interpreter. When asked her intentions with Sinh, Amanda falls in love with her Vietnamese expatriate tour guide for Saigon Silver Star, Sinh (Ly). They decide to hijack the tour bus to experience life and love in unconventional ways.

Cast

Production

In April 2021, Variety reported that Rachael Leigh Cook would star in and produce a romantic comedy, A Tourist's Guide to Love, that is based on an original idea of hers with Eirene Tran Donohue writing the screenplay.[1] The film is a Netflix Original film produced by Head First Productions and Muse Entertainment.[1] In May 2022, the casting of Scott Ly, Ben Feldman, Missi Pyle, Jacqueline Correa, Nondumiso Tembe, Morgan Lynee Dudley, Andrew Barth Feldman, Glynn Sweet, Alexa Povah, Thanh Truc and Le Thien was announced.[2]

Principal photography commenced in April 2022, and took place on location in various cities of Vietnam, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hội An, Hanoi and Hà Giang.[2][3] Donohue explained why it was important to her not to have an American film set in the country that focused on war, saying "There are almost no American movies set in Vietnam that aren't about the trauma of war. It was really important to me to tell a story about life now. One that was full of joy and love and celebration. I wanted to change the conversation about Vietnam, to highlight it as a modern thriving country whose stories are worthy of being told".[4]

Release

A Tourist's Guide to Love was released on April 21, 2023, on Netflix.[5]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10.[6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (April 1, 2021). "Rachael Leigh Cook to Star in Netflix Movie A Tourist's Guide to Love', Eirene Donohue to Write (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (May 6, 2022). "Ben Feldman, Missi Pyle & More Round Out Cast Of Netflix's Romance 'A Tourist's Guide To Love'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "A Tourist's Guide to Love to commence filming in Việt Nam". Việt Nam News. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  4. ^ Jones, Adrienne (February 11, 2023). "A Tourist's Guide To Love: What We Know About Rachael Leigh Cook's New Netflix Rom-Com". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Paz, Maggie Dela (January 19, 2023). "A Tourist's Guide to Love Photos: Rachael Leigh Cook Leads Netflix Rom-Com". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "A Tourist's Guide to Love". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  7. ^ "A Tourist's Guide to Love". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
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