This Time Next Year Review: A Pleasant Romantic Romp

This Time Next Year tells the story of Minnie and Quinn, two people born just minutes apart on New Year’s Day 1990 in the same London hospital. Directed by Nick Moore, it stars Sophie Cookson as Minnie and Lucien Laviscount as Quinn. Released in 2024, the movie is an adaptation of Sophie Cousens’ novel of the same name.

Minnie has always felt cursed by her birthday, with bad luck following her year after year. She runs a pie business in north London but struggles to find success. Quinn, on the other hand, has lived a charmed life thanks to his birthday.

He comes from wealth, as his family won a sizable prize for having the first baby of the new year. The two protagonists cross paths by chance one New Year’s Eve after Minnie has another run of misfortune. Though they come from very different worlds, a friendship forms that just may help each see beyond their preconceived notions of the other.

The Twists and Turns of Destiny

This Time Next Year takes us on a journey following the interconnected lives of Minnie and Quinn. Born just minutes apart on New Year’s Day 1990, the two seem destined to cross paths once more as adults, though their circumstances could not be more different.

Minnie has always felt cursed by her shared birthday with Quinn. While he grew up wealthy after his family won a prize, her life has been ruled by bad luck and misfortune. She works tirelessly to make her pie business a success but struggles at every turn. Enter Quinn, a wealthy businessman who seems to sail through life with endless good fortune. The pair meet by chance one New Year’s Eve when Minnie’s luck strikes again.

An unlikely friendship forms between the polar opposites, which begins to blur the lines of fate. Quinn takes a shine to Minnie’s pies and talent in the kitchen. She finds herself opening up to someone genuinely willing to lend a helping hand. In the other lives touched by the twin’s connected birth, Quinn’s mother Tara and Minnie’s mom Connie embark on their own journey of forgiveness after decades of resentment.

As the bonds strengthen between all those intertwined by destiny, Minnie and Quinn’s relationship deepens. Their magnetic attraction grows, but past misunderstandings linger below the surface. Both harbor doubts about finding real love. Through learning more of each other and themselves, they start to believe that sometimes what you’re searching for has been closer than you knew all along.

But will past pains prove too difficult to surpass? And do two people who began their lives together truly belong that way? This Time Next Year takes audiences on a heartwarming ride exploring the funny, complicated ways in which life and love can entwine.

Walk-On Parts of the Heart

This Time Next Year boasts a stellar British cast that brings the key characters vividly to life. As the ill-fated Minnie Cooper, Sophie Cookson imbues her role with great emotional depth. From the first scenes witnessing Minnie’s string of bad luck curses, Cookson conveys her sense of defeated resignation through body language and expression. Yet she also ensures Minnie remains relatable and feisty underneath.

Opposite Cookson, Lucien Laviscount finds the sweet spot between cocky charm and genuine warmth as Minnie’s supposed “lucky” counterpart Quinn. When the two are thrown together, Laviscount and Cookson share genuine on-screen chemistry that grounds their developing relationship. Beyond looks, Laviscount ensures Quinn’s superficial billionaire persona gradually gives way to reveal deeper motivations.

In supporting roles, This Time Next Year benefits greatly from standouts like Golda Rosheuvel as Quinn’s mother, Tara. Under a poised exterior, Rosheuvel hints at lingering traumas through nuanced line readings. Her scenes exploring a longtime family feud bring poignancy. As Minnie’s parents, John Hannah and Monica Dolan inject heart and humor, stealing practically every scene with infectious compassion for their daughter.

Mandip Gill also leaves an impression despite limited screentime as Minnie’s zesty business partner. But this ensemble is only as strong as its leads, and Cookson & Laviscount rise admirably to anchor this tale of intertwined souls with sincerity. Even in lighter moments, their connection and emotion feel true, distinguishing This Time Next Year as a cut above typical rom-com fare.

Breaking the Code

Nick Moore shows himself a director well-versed in the rom-com playbook with This Time Next Year. Having edited classics like Notting Hill and Love Actually, he understands the mechanics needed to deliver the familiar beats and tropes audiences expect.

From the start, Moore sets a light, bubbly tone with colorful London scenes and a bouncy soundtrack. It’s a confident classic entry point for the genre. His establishing shots efficiently set characters and relationships in motion from the get-go.

Yet where Moore truly shines is in the intimate moments. He crafts genuine warmth between his leads, letting small character details and looks say so much. Whether swimming or sharing pastries, his stars’ chemistry radiates off the screen. It’s easy to see why their connection grounds the more far-fetched plot points.

Of course, not all of Moore’s directorial choices land perfectly. The quirky cutaways some found to feel excessive at times. And a few late storyline diversions lose focus. But Moore handles such missteps deftly, zipping the film along to its inevitable happy endpoint.

Overall, Moore breathes vibrant local color into familiar tropes. His pacing, while not flawless, keeps romantic highs and lows rolling past potential pitfalls. Fans of Richard Curtis will find Moore fluent in the language of fizzy, heartwarming British romance. He may not reinvent the wheel, yet with This Time Next Year, Nick Moore proves himself fully multilingual in the grammar of love.

Finding Fate

This Time Next Year tackles some familiar romantic themes but brings a fresh spin by blending them with ideas of destiny and personal improvement. The film asks whether love can be preordained or if it’s something we make for ourselves.

On the one hand, the magic of Minnie and Quinn meeting on their shared birthday feels like it must be fate. But as we learn of their starkly different lives thanks to the “stolen name,” portrayals of luck as a commodity prompt questions. The movie seems to say destiny deals us certain hands, yet how we play them matters most.

Minnie clings to excuses of bad fortune, stalling her pie business and relationships. But spending time with the carefree Quinn inspires her to stop waiting on luck and shape her life. In him, she finds a mirror reflecting how far determination can swing the pendulum of chance.

Through their bond, both characters grow into better versions of themselves. Minnie acquires confidence while Quinn develops empathy—symbols their pairing wasn’t circumstantial but catalyzed personal growth. Even minor roles like Quinn’s mother suggest we’re free to overcome past hardships.

This suggestion of self-directed change gives the relationship weightier substance over a simple “boy meets girl” romance. Fittingly, the conclusion underscores that challenging barriers alone isn’t enough; we need each other to fully bloom.

At its heart, the film celebrates how sharing our journeys can lead both to felicity and finding our truer paths. It puts a modern twist on predeterminism by saying that while fate places us together, love is what we make of that chance meeting. Some may find this blending of themes too neat, but most will appreciate the insight into life’s serendipitous crossroads.

Parting Verdict

All in all, This Time Next Year serves up a light helping of romance that will certainly satisfy eager fans of the genre. Cookson and Laviscount share genuine chemistry, carrying viewers through the film’s fluffier moments. Their charm makes even episodic scenes of pining and misunderstanding strangely sweet.

Moore proves a deft hand with character, lavishing most casts with care. Supporting turns genuinely energize the central pair’s journey together. And the concept, while crackly, brings a fresh twist valiantly explored through destiny and personal growth themes.

Yet this rom-com never feels more than the sum of its familiar parts. A script relying too heavily on predictable rhythms than riskier nuance prevents leads and motifs from truly resonating. The comedy is uneven, and slack pacing drags in spots.

Overall, however, upbeat themes of connection and self-improvement still shine through. London provides a picturesque backdrop, and audiences wanting an easygoing date night option could do far worse. Just don’t expect fireworks that’ll ignite a water-cooler buzz.

For romance fans in need of lighthearted distraction, though, this sweet-natured fling deserves consideration. It won’t linger long, yet leaves enjoyment enough in the moment. A cozy watch, if not forever memorable.