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The resurrection of “May-December” romances in popular culture has resulted in an explosion in movies covering the topic. Usually, the A-tier level actress finds themselves in a relationship with a younger man for various reasons, and the two struggle to find a middle ground.Lonely Planettouches similar territory, this time starringLaura DernandLiam Hemsworthas the slowly developing romance. Directed by Sussanah Grant,Lonely Planettries to sell us on a budding romance. However, with a lack of chemistry and overwritten screenplay, it’s hard to buy this as anything more than aNetflixmiddling experience.
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Lonely PlanetPlot
As they head to a writer’s retreat in Morocco, couple Owen Brophy (Hemsworth) and Lily Kemp (Diana Silvers) try to re-spark their relationship. Lily just released her first novel, which launches her into superstardom overnight. Meanwhile, Owen takes work calls despite being hours ahead of his co-workers. During one night, Owen runs into Katherine Loewe (Laura Dern), a famous author who inspired Lily’s own career. Like Owen, Katherine does not like networking with the writers on the retreat, and they soon spend time away from the group. As Owen and Lily grow further apart, Katherine wonders if Owen represents a new stage in her life.
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The romance lacks chemistry and spark.
Many of the recent entries in the subgenre relied on eroticism between the leads. WhileMay Decemberportrayed a problematic experience, the love stories inThe Idea of YouandA Family Affairprovided more agency to the participants involved. The characters inLonely Planetfind their lone bit of power when with each other. However, there’s still a lack of chemistry on screen as their relationship develops.
We’ve seen the Oscar-winning Dern craft chemistry with her co-stars for decades. When we’re supposed to believe in their relationship, she sells it as much as possible, committing to her character’s whirlwind experience. She’s still in control of the situation, and when she thinks she loses her power, she beats herself up for it. The tone ofLonely Planetmakes sense when the camera is on her and highlights that Hemsworth is just not landing his half of the story.
Given recent cinematic explorations, Hemsworth seems to miss this aspect as a performer. Even inThe Hunger Games, something often felt off with co-stars. Inthis romantic comedy, he sleepwalks through most of the excursions and laments his lack of enjoyment. However, this is not improved when he makes big changes. Instead, he continues to mope and sulk, even when things go his way. Hemsworth’s demeanor does not match the emotion of the screenplay, and thus, it feels like a relationship that DOA.
The filmmaking and screenplay do not liftLonely Planet.
Even with that said, the screenplay does not do him many favors. It often trends toward recreating tropes. Forbidden or unusual romances can go poorly quickly. They need specificity to show their creativity and power. Instead,Lonely Planetmisses the mark here. At every opportunity, it plays the story as safe as possible. Some audiences will find this charming, but it also leavesLonely Planetfeeling forgettable.
It has a few interesting shots, but the wayLonely Planetlooks does not embrace the beauty of the world that itscharacters lovingly claim. To its credit,Lonely Planetfeatures more stirring visuals than most Netflix features. At the same time, it does not do anything with that beauty other than nod to it. Using the sites this way feels trite at best, and like cultural voyeurism at worst.
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Should I watchLonely Planet?
If you love romance, then this one might scratch an itch. However,Lonely Planetrarely rises above mediocrity. There are plenty of better romance movies that have a sense of pace and urgency to them. While Dern does her best to save the movie, the rest ofLonely Planetstruggles. There are better romances, so maybe check your watchlist for something else.
Lonely Planetreleases on Netflix on June 14, 2025.
Alan French
Film/TV Critic
Articles Published :280
Alan French began writing about television and film by covering the Emmys and Oscar beats in 2016. Since then, he has written hundreds of reviews on TV and movies. He attends film festivals regularly. He is a Rotten Tomato-approved critic and is on the committee for the Critics Association of Central Florida.
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Laura DernLiam hemsworthMay DecemberNetflixRomance
