Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Weepy romance digs into grief, COVID; sex, nudity, drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Love of Your Life
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In LOVE OF YOUR LIFE, hospital nurse Maya (Margaret Qualley) meets Charlie (Gabriel Basso), and they fall deeply in love. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hits, Maya's hospital shifts get longer and more difficult. Then an unexpected turn of events throws her life in a different direction, forcing her to start over again.
Is It Any Good?
Avoiding formulaic cliches, director Rachel Morrison's grief journey skips obvious foreshadowing and familiar cinematic crutches, instead creating the welcoming sense that anything can happen. And those unexpected paths—including a surprising challenge to the famous adage that "it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all"—are the point. Life is unpredictable. When Maya's is turned upside down, she has no idea what she's going to do next, and what she does isn't always pretty.
This isn't a love story as much as it is a character study, and it's one that emanates authenticity. Love of Your Life dives into ideas rarely explored in film, including the psychological toll on first responders and care workers who give so much of themselves to save others that it can chip away at their own souls. Surrounded by loss until it reaches a level that becomes unfathomable, Maya reacts in ways that eventually deliver a sobering realization: She's the hero of this story, but in others, she might be the villain. Maybe the lesson isn't simply that it's better to have loved and lost, but that, after losing someone we love, we have to learn to love the person left behind.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how grief and loss are portrayed in Love of Your Life. What are healthy ways to express grief? How can family members and friends support each other in that experience? Why do you think grief is a common theme in movies?
How are sex and relationships portrayed? Affectionately? Respectfully? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Do you consider Maya a positive character? Why, or why not? Why is it important to see nuanced representations of women on screen?
Did the way the movie depicted the COVID-19 pandemic feel accurate? How did it make you feel to see it on screen? What's the opportunity for filmmakers to depict important moments in history when they're fresh? What's the risk when historical events are depicted decades later?
Did the story spark feelings of compassion and empathy in you? What is resilience, and why is it important? Were you happy with how the movie ended? How is this a lesson in resilience?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 7, 2026
- Cast : Margaret Qualley , Gabriel Basso , Patrick Schwarzenegger , Aaron Pierre
- Director : Rachel Morrison
- Studio : Amazon MGM Studios
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Travel
- Character Strengths : Perseverance
- Run time : 106 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some sexuality and brief nudity
- Last updated : October 13, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate