Alrighty then time to review a film from the past called Only You which is a rom-com from the 90s. I saw it on TV I around 2 years ago and then bought it on Amazon a few weeks later, but then never opened the DVD to watch it again… Until tonight when I unwrapped it and watched the film again, and I knew after I watched it around half hour ago I just had to review it, so here we go.

So the story involves Faith Corvatch, a lady who believes she is destined to spend her life with a man named “Damon Bradley” after playing with an Ouija board when she was 11. Then 14 years later just under a fortnight before she’s meant to marry a podiatrist, she gets a phone call from a friend of her fiancé’s named, Damon Bradley. Bradley is off to Venice, and also Faith uses this opportunity to pursue her dream man accompanied by her sister-in-law, Kate. What follows is a beautiful tale of love, mystery and destiny.
The story in this film is absolutely precious. The idea of predestination and love is such an interesting concept and makes you think about relationships and whether your significant other is destined for you or if fate is in your own hands. This film is part rom-com, part road trip film and going on this adventure through Italy witnessing all the ups and downs, humour, drama and crazy antics is fun, magical and captivating. I really liked the way the story played out, sure it’s a bit cheesy and a bit formulaic of the rom-com genre, but it is done in a unique fashion which makes it more entertaining for me.

The story in this film is wonderful, but it is the performances that make it super special. Firstly there’s Marisa Tomei as Faith Corvatch. Beyond being amazingly gorgeous Tomei gives a wonderful performance as this lady who is headstrong, caring and wants to find true love by any means possible. Though she can be a bit naive and reckless, she’s such a determined and beautiful soul and you can’t help but root for her to succeed. fate and things that happen for a reason. Next up is Robert Downey Jr. as Peter Wright who was just fabulous. RDJ. brings his charm, wit and likability to this film and even though he doesn’t always do the right thing, you see that deep down he cares. Tomei and RDJ have beautiful chemistry and whenever they’re onscreen, it’s amazing. Then there’s Bonnie Hunt as Kate Corvatch who was lovely. Kate assists and supports Faith over the course of their journey and I loved their scenes together. On top of that, her side story involving her husband and the other man was an interesting one. And speaking of that other man… Joaquim de Almeida was great as Giovanni, I’ll try not to say too much but I liked how suave and cool he was. And lastly, I also enjoyed Fisher Stevens who had some solid moments as Larry Corvatch who’s Faith’s brother and Kate’s husband.

The presentation for this film is very nice. Visually the film featured some absolutely stunning shots of Italy from the city to the countryside with wonderful shots of buildings and statues to grassy hills and flowery landscapes and the shots of the town by the ocean, breathtaking. I think this film was one of the key reasons I’ve wanted to travel to Venice. And the film score by Rachel Portman is gorgeous, it has such a sweet and whimsical sound like it belongs in the classic era of Hollywood films. Portman crafts music for any scenario that enhances all of the on-screen and it really really feels like an additional character in the film.

So to conclude Only You is a lovely little rom-com about finding love, the concept of fate and making your own destiny. I really liked the story and the central performances from Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., and Bonnie Hunt were fabulous. Sure the film is cheesy as heck but I don’t care, this is the only rom-com I’ve ever liked this much to buy on DVD and this comes from a guy that hates the genre with a passion! If you’re in the right mood check this film out, it’s a lot of fun.
Rating: 8/10 (I recommend it yo!)
So have you seen this hidden gem of a film or not? Whatever your thought drop them below in the comments section and I’ll see ya on the next review! 😀
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