2 Hearts

Name: 2 Hearts
Item: 2 Hearts
Rating: 2
Author: Tara McNamara

Movie review by

Tara McNamara, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 11+

(i)

Well-meaning but stiff romance drags; language, drinking.

PG-13
2020
100 minutes

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Official trailer

2 Hearts

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Did this review miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive, diverse representations in books, TV shows, and movies. Want to help us help them? Suggest a diversity update

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Positive Messages

Even when events are upsetting and don't make sense, there's a positive outcome if you look at the big picture. "Life is happening for us, not to us." Potential mixed messages around healthy relationships: Some viewers could perceive one man's pursuit of his future wife to equate stalking with love.

Positive Role Models & Representations

All characters are portrayed positively, but they follow stereotypical gender roles when it comes to romance. Chris and Sam are "safety buddies," providing free rides to college students. Some diverse representations: One of the four leads is Cuban, and Chris' roommate is Asian American.

Violence

Two characters have a serious health crisis that puts their lives in peril.

Sex

The plot is almost entirely focused on two romances. Kissing. Couple shown in bed together with sheets pulled up to stomach and armpits, clothes heaped on floor. Many shots of shirtless young men. One woman wears plunging necklines.

Language

Infrequent strong language includes "dammit" and "f--king." A character calls himself an "idiot." An instance of "oh my Lord."

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Drinking rum is a recurring situation. A drunk girl calls for a sober ride home. Cigar smoking.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that 2 Hearts is a romantic mystery based on real events that finds a positive outcome from tragedy. Adapted loosely from Eric Gregory's nonfiction book All My Tomorrows, it follows the evolution of two romances with themes related to illness, death, grief, and hope. The first, in the 1970s, involves wealthy Cuban-born rum executive Jorge (Adan Canto) and flight attendant Leslie (Radha Mitchell). Drinking and cigar smoking crop up regularly in their storyline, and they're shown in bed together having an implied after-sex conversation (sensitive body parts are covered by a sheet). A couple of curse words are said, including "f--k" and "goddammit." The other relationship is between modern-day college students Chris and Sam (Jacob Elordi and Tiera Skovbye), who come together through volunteer work. The movie portrays relationships and characters in a way that reinforces gender stereotypes: It's love at first sight for the men, who then pursue the women relentlessly. Jorge aggressively woos his future wife with riches and luxury, flying all over the world to surprise her, behavior that some may see as stalkerish rather than affectionate.

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What's the story?

Based on a true story and adapted from Eric Gregory's nonfiction book All My Tomorrows, 2 HEARTS follows two couples in two different timelines. In the present, Chris (Jacob Elordi) is a hopeful young college student who falls madly in love with classmate Sam (Tiera Skovbye). Decades earlier, in the 1970s, Jorge (Adan Canto) meets flight attendant Leslie (Radha Mitchell); they too fall in love. When Chris suddenly falls seriously ill, Sam is left grieving and ends up meeting Jorge and Leslie in the most unexpected circumstances.

Is it any good?

The filmmakers' hearts are in the right place in telling this story, but the disconnected execution makes this syrupy romance with a message difficult to watch. There's little that works here: The script is amateur, the acting feels forced, and the direction tries to push emotion on the audience, but it's not genuinely felt. When the romantic hero with a lung disease explains why he's wooing the object of his affection with urgent fervor, he says, "Time is not something I have." Yet as the film unfurls, time passes all too slowly, creating a palatable impatience among viewers to get to the point.

It would seem that the intention of the plodding script is to be clever, to build up two separate storylines and then land with a big twist. But it's likely that audiences will guess where it's all going in the first 10 minutes. It's tough to explain further without spoiling the mystery, but this film has a mission, and considering that, the end comes as a bit of a shocker that this story is the one they choose to tell. If this is the best example, then 2 Hearts misses all the beats.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about the importance of service and purpose. How does 2 Hearts show gratitude being channeled into purpose?
Compare and contrast the way the two different romances are depicted. Do you think they're realistic, especially considering the era in which they occur?
How does the movie succeed -- or fail -- in depicting diversity? Why is representation in the media important?
How does the film depict smoking and drinking? Is substance use glamorized? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
This film has elements of Catholicism, but would you call it a faith-based film? Why, or why not? How does it compare to faith-based films you've seen?