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Parents' Guide to

Love, Guaranteed

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Cute romcom breaks no ground but entertains; drinking.

Movie NR 2020 90 minutes
Love, Guaranteed Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

mfagundes
mfagundes Adult
November 4, 2020
age 8+

Cute romcom

Both actor and actress are likeable. Good positive roles. No foul language, no sex, no nudity. My 14 year old enjoyed it. Almost Hallmark quality, but better!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

LOVE, GUARANTEED is the name of a dating app promising that anyone who goes on 1,000 dates will find love. When Nick Evans (Damon Wayans Jr.) is nearing his 1,000th date with nothing to show for it, he hires Susan Whitaker (Rachael Leigh Cook), a big-hearted, go-getter attorney who takes on lost causes and clients who can't pay. She thinks he's a shameless "loophole shark" looking to make a buck, but he pays a hefty retainer and her rent is due, so Susan takes the case. As research for the trial, she meets with his unsuccessful dates: the woman who talks about cats, the one who brought her parents to dinner. She wonders if Nick is genuine, or if he cynically dismissed the possibility of love before the dates. But each woman confirms he was engaged during dates, acted like a gentleman, and paid for everything. The app's lawyers offer $100,000 to make the suit go away, but Nick, a physical therapist who donates his service to those who can't pay, wants to use his settlement to fund therapy for needy children, so Susan, finding Nick more sympathetic, heads to trial. Will Nick win more than a lawsuit?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This movie is likable and inoffensive enough, with parts that seem plucked directly out of a screenwriter's How to Write a Romcom manual. "Cute" is the target adjective. Susan is a quirky, workaholic attorney with a soft spot for lost causes and clients who can't pay. Too busy to cook, she has a fridge filled with Chinese takeout containers. Her car has a name -- so cute -- Zorro, a model last produced in 1974, with a stuck CD that randomly plays a song recorded in 1987. Nick feels just as manufactured: a charming, intelligent, and gentlemanly catch who donates his services to older adults and kids with disabilities, and treats women well enough to get through a full date, even with women who are boring or cat-obsessed.

On paper Love, Guaranteed sounds far too sweet, but Cook, who imbues her Susan with the unironic focus of Amy Poehler's Parks and Recreation character, and Wayans, who's handsome and winning, pull it off. The charm they both emanate transcends the script's flaws and the director's conventionality. The Rom part is evident. The Com could be stronger. Cook utters one funny line that can be mentioned here because it's entirely owing to her delivery that it succeeds: "You need a sandwich and a nap." Savor it when you hear it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why falling in love requires taking a risk. How would you feel if you fell in love with someone who didn't love you back? Is it better to take a chance on love than to never know if it could work?

  • How does Love, Guaranteed use stereotypes to surprise us? Is Nick presented as someone slick and selfish so that the movie can later prove we misjudged him? Does that work as a plot device?

  • Do you think the fact that the plot seems unlikely tells us how seriously to take the movie?

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