A Week in Paradise, 2022.
Directed by Phillipe Martinez.
Starring Malin Åkerman, Connie Nielsen, Philip Winchester, Jack Donnelly, William Nadylam, Alec James, and Caroline Quentin.
SYNOPSIS:
An international film star’s world collapses when her film director husband is outed by the paparazzi as having a baby with his new young leading lady. Seeking solace and healing, she escapes to a Caribbean boutique hotel resort.
Celebrated fictional actor Maggie (Malin Akerman) is having a video chat session with her equally famous husband Christopher (Jack Donnelly), who frequently claims to be exhausted from a difficult shoot. It turns out he is cheating on her with his co-star, has been for some time, and seems to be romancing himself into a family in the process. For most, a breakup is a painful experience (especially a relationship ten years in), so it’s an immediate groan when A Week in Paradise quickly positions itself to be precisely what the title suggests. It must be nice to take your sadness and travel to paradise Island Nevis easily.
That’s not to say it’s impossible to get investment in the lives of rich people coping with everyday hurtful experiences, but director Philippe Martinez and Kate Wood seem to have approached A Week in Paradise with the self-serving prospect of giving themselves and the cast a vacation. Maggie takes up her cousin Fiona’s (Connie Nielsen) offer to have a stay, but there’s almost no conflict or anything remotely exciting happening.
Several segments involve Maggie lounging around and getting some R&R, including intentionally inaudible conversations between her and Fiona. Sailing, dining, beaches, pools, you name it, and we probably see Maggie doing it at some point. All of it comes at the expense of giving her an actual character and this movie a narrative. I can only imagine people coming away annoyed that they spend money to watch someone else enjoy the sights and sounds of an exotic island.
In the flimsiest of defenses, Maggie does make the acquaintance of hotel chef Sam (a charming Philip Winchester who might be the only decent aspect here). Their interactions are also a nice change of pace from the cousins, who converse with such dead dialogue that it’s nothing more than reciting terrible lines. At the very least, there is a small amount of chemistry between Malin Akerman and Philip Winchester, even if there is still no drama or reason to care. On some level, it’s nice that Sam being a single father doesn’t prove to be a hurdle in what these two are building, but a hang-out movie still needs characters worth analyzing and diving into. Again, there is just none of that here. The only thing we learn is service-level dreams for these characters.
Technically, there is some conflict in A Week in Paradise, but it’s only about 10 minutes long and something anyone that has ever seen a romantic comedy before will be able to see coming from a continent away. There will also be no doubt in anyone’s mind how it will be resolved and who Maggie will end up with. As a result, viewers are left watching constant montages of broken-hearted characters escaping their pain without even getting to know them.
Maggie’s occupation as an actor also has nothing to do with anything. There is practically no effort put into A Week in Paradise beyond finding a beautiful place to shoot. Perhaps it would be slightly more tolerable if it explored the dynamic between Maggie and Sam more, but otherwise, this is 100 minutes in rom-com hell. It’s not a movie; it’s an excuse to take a vacation, and no one watching will be vicariously having any fun.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
