At Midnight

At Midnight is a brand new romantic comedy that manages to roll together all the elements of this popular genre with many nods to well-loved movies like, Love Actually, Notting Hill and Paris at Midnight. Directed by Jonah Feingold, whose previous credits include the endearing comedy Dating and New York, the film takes away from the dreary winter blues and transports you to the sunny climes of Mexico just in time for some cutesy Valentine’s Day viewing.

The story follows the famous actress Sophie (Monica Barbaro) and her co-star and boyfriend, Adam (Anders Holm), who are in the midst of filming their superhero film trilogy, Super Society 3. She stumbles upon him cheating with another girl in his on-set trailer and, left broken and depressed, she seeks solace on a trip away with her upbeat best friend Rachel (Catherine Cohen). The pair check in to a resort hotel on the Mayan Riviera where they are assigned a personal concierge hotel manager called Alejandro, (played charmingly by Diego Boneta, who also serves as one of the producers on this feature). He ends up catching Sophie’s eye, and over the course of her stay, a new romance blossoms as they agree to regular meet-ups at midnight when his shifts at the hotel end.

Fresh from her breakout turn in Top Gun: Maverick, Barbaro swaps her role as a female fighter pilot to one that channels the same doe-eyed 90s allure that Claire Danes gave as Juliet in the 1996 Baz Luhrmann film Romeo and Juliet. Toying with Boneta through the serving hatch of the hotel kitchen late one night, the chemistry between the pair manages to mirror that of Leonardo DiCaprio and Danes, unfaltering even under a stream of age-old romantic tropes, well-versed cliches and, at times, a rather superficial and fluffy narrative. 

Feingold uses the supporting cast to allow these two central characters to shine in a way that a lot of other romcom films have done. A lively performance from Fernanda Casa as Alejandro’s work colleague and loyal best friend Taschi rings similar to that of Adam Sadler’s best friend Ula in 50 First Dates, and the role of Sophie’s spiky film agent Chris (Casey Thomas Brown) echoes that of Wilhelmina Slater’s PA in the popular series Ugly Betty. These familiar connections make At Midnight a cosy, well-trodden path of a movie, that brims with plenty of romance whilst managing to remain wholesome, and makes for a classic Valentine’s watch, set against a beautiful, sunny backdrop.

Ezelle Alblas

At Midnight is released on Paramount+ on 10^th February 2023.

Watch the trailer for At Midnight here: