While it is at the top of the most viewed films of the moment, the streaming platform’s latest romance put online a few days ago is far from having won over subscribers.
After the unexpected success of the series Nobody wants thissubscribers were eagerly awaiting Netflix’s new romance. This is undoubtedly why Internet users flocked to the latest film of the genre, available since October 11. If the film has enjoyed rather relative success (11 million views in 3 days) and has taken the top spot in the top of the most viewed films on Netflix at the moment across the world (and particularly in France) a few days before its release, the spectators were not however seduced.
On paper however, this film directed by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich) had it all: a dream cast and an impossible romance. The plot of Lonely Planet follows the story of a fifty-year-old, solitary novelist (Laura Dern of Big Little Lies And Jurassic Park) on a retreat for writers in Morocco, who hopes to overcome blank page syndrome. There she meets a younger man in a relationship (Liam Hemsworth from Hunger Games And The Witcher), whose meeting will give rise to a passionate love story.
This romance on the other side of the world therefore has everything or almost everything to make you dream, and this can explain its ranking among the most viewed programs of the moment on the streaming platform. But Lonely Planet apparently disappointed subscribers: it received a press and public rating of 39% on Rotten Tomatoes and 2.7/5 on Allociné.
On social networks, English-speaking spectators are even quite acerbic: “it will be difficult to do worse this year”, writes an Internet user on X (formerly Twitter), criticizing the feature film for the lack of chemistry of the main duo. A criticism shared by many users of the social network. “The romance is so forced,” writes another, while a third believes that “it falls flat, I didn’t feel anything from the whole film.”
On the French side, we note “a flat, bland romantic comedy, with actors who have no chemistry, making you want to unsubscribe”. It’s up to everyone to form their own opinion from now on – some spectators fortunately allowed themselves to be picked -, since Lonely Planet is still available on Netflix for those curious.