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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 for Tourista, undertakes a covert mission to gain insight into Vietnam's tourism sector after her five year relationship with John ends unexpectedly. Her boss Mona convinces her to get a manicure for what she believes will be a proposal, however he proposes a hiatus to take a position in Ohio.

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

Mona has given Amanda lots of material and proposed itineraries, which Sinh consistantly rejects. He insists she trust his choices. Amanda 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 the group 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 obviously shows interest in him, but insists she just wants to stay friends due to the distance. The grandmother says she doesn't believe her and leaves. Anh stays behind, confiding in Amanda that her dad is looking to sell the company, but Sinh doesn't know yet. She also tells her that whoever first knocks on your door on Tết influences your coming year greatly.

Sinh visits Amanda bright and early, and everyone works to put out the feast. Everyone wears their specially-made outfits and new bonds and old bonds are made stronger. Amanda is about to tell Sinh about her purpose for the trip, but he asks if she wants to kiss so they do.

When they arrive to Ha Noi the next day, a surprise traveler, John, joins them. Announcing that he's come to win Amanda back, both Sinh and she look crestfallen. Alone together, John tells her he's ready to advance in their relationship. Amanda calls Mona to tell her of her unintentional love triangle, with the comfortable John and the adventurous and exciting Sinh.

At that evening's water puppetry show, Sinh sullenly sits on one side of Amanda while John sits on the other. As the group sit outside, chatting happily about the show and eating food from street vendors, Anh gets the call that Tourista has bought the tour company. John exclaims excitedly, so Amanda has to confess her involvement. Upset, Sinh starts to storm off and Amanda follows him, but he believes it was all a lie.

The next day, walking in a garden, John tells Amanda that he'll be back in LA at the end of the year, so they'll be able to house hunt then. She realises he's not really motivated to marry her, but is saying he would to please her. Amanda tells him she doesn't want it any more and says goodbye.

Meanwhile, the cousins make up and Sinh decides to travel to clear his head at his dad's. When Amanda finds out, Anh helps her cross the city to stop him from leaving and confess her feelings.

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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