Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sexy love-triangle romance disappoints; language, drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
One True Loves
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In ONE TRUE LOVES, Emma Blair (Phillipa Soo) reconnects with her high school best friend, Sam (Simu Liu), a few years after the presumed death of her husband, Jesse (Luke Bracey). Emma and Sam fall in love, but soon after their engagement, Emma learns that Jesse is, in fact, alive—and he's coming home.
Is It Any Good?
This romance based on Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel is so underwhelming that it makes you want to read the novel to figure out what went wrong. It's got a clever premise that's essentially the flip side of Cast Away, imagining what Helen Hunt's character might have gone through while her boyfriend Tom Hanks was stranded on the island. But One True Loves is directed like an overwrought soap opera, to the point that it's a shock to realize that this melodramatic mess is supposed to be a romcom. Liu's comedic timing is the movie's one bright spot, but the score steps on the laughs, swelling while he's still talking and cracking jokes and drowning out his performance. The story is told in clippy flashbacks: Viewers will absorb the aspirational love between Emma and Jesse, but the brevity of the flashback scenes keeps us emotionally distant. We're able to recognize what a dilemma Emma is in, but we probably don't really care about the outcome.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the challenges of adapting a novel for the screen. What are some of your favorite book-to-screen adaptations? How does One True Loves compare?
How does One True Loves tap into our empathy for what Emma, Sam, and Jesse are going through? Why is empathy an important life skill?
How would you describe the movie's message? Who do you think Emma should have picked?
Jesse survives through grit, determination, and perseverance—but he also has a goal. Why is goal-setting important to achievement? How does he use visualization to motivate him?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 7, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : April 14, 2023
- Cast : Phillipa Soo , Simu Liu , Luke Bracey
- Director : Andy Fickman
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : The Avenue
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Book Characters
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some suggestive material and language
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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