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SONY

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Natalie Krinsky
Cast:
Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar
Writing Credits:
Natalie Krinsky

Synopsis:
After a break-up, a young woman decides to start a gallery where people can leave trinkets from past relationships.

MPAA:
Rated PG-13.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
English Audio Descriptive Service
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English
Spanish

Runtime: 109 min.
Price: $34.99
Release Date: 11/17/2020

Bonus:
• Gag Reel
• Two Vignettes
• Preview


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RELATED REVIEWS


The Broken Hearts Gallery [Blu-Ray] (2020)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (November 18, 2020)

Though the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the movie release schedule for much of 2020, one silver lining emerged, as smaller films got more attention than otherwise might’ve occurred. Not that this translated to box office returns, as audiences largely stayed home, but the paucity of big blockbusters at least meant potential audiences gained greater awareness of these flicks than likely would’ve happened in a non-COVID world.

Into this category falls 2020’s The Broken Hearts Gallery, a romantic comedy. With a US gross of only $4 million, it didn’t benefit financially from the lack of competition, but I believe it enjoyed greater name recognition due to the empty multiplex screens.

20-something aspiring artist Lucy Gulliver (Geraldine Viswanathan) saves souvenirs from each of her many failed relationships. When her latest breakup causes her to lose her job, she decides to channel these emotions into what she calls the “Broken Heart Gallery”, a facility that takes these preserved objects and attempts to turn them into art.

As Lucy explores these possibilities, she meets Nick (Dacre Montgomery), a young man with his own dream to open a small hotel. After an antagonistic introduction, the two develop a business partnership – and a romance.

Thus we find Unsurprising Element Number One in Gallery: the “meet cute” that blossoms. When Lucy embarrasses herself at the gallery where she works and winds up canned, she mistakes Nick for a rideshare driver and forces him to take her to her destination.

The “meet cute” exists as a crucial staple of romantic comedies, so I won’t criticize that choice too much. I will go after the movie’s decision to make Lucy relentlessly obnoxious, though.

One’s enjoyment of Gallery will likely depend largely on how one views Viswanathan’s performance. If you find her brand of wild-eyed overacting delightful, you’ll love the film, and if you don’t, you’ll hate it.

I suppose the fact I referred to Viswanathan’s turn as “wild-eyed overacting” might offer a clue of my position. Due to a number of factors, Gallery seemed doomed to failure, but Viswanathan’s rabid take on our lead ensures that it becomes a total chore to watch.

Viswanathan doesn’t act as Lucy – she terrorizes the role, as she mugs, shouts, grimaces and bugs her eyes. This Dunning-Kruger Comedy, as Viswanathan’s “Amy Schumer on Speed” performance implies she believes she’s vastly funnier and more charming than she is.

It doesn’t help that Gallery packs its bloated 109-minute running time with a non-stop array of nutty characters. Each one seems more annoying than the last, and the script forces them to utter incessant batches of inane dialogue that no actual human would speak.

On the other hand, Montgomery plays Nick in such a comatose manner that it never seems clear that he knows he’s on camera. Montgomery interprets his lines as though he just read them for the first time and hasn’t attempted a real take on the part.

Much of Gallery plays like a fantasy in which an average-looking weirdo can Have It All. Sure, Lucy initially comes across as hapless, but we still see that she manages to attract much hotter men, all because…the script says so?

Perhaps I should embrace this improbable side of Gallery, as movies/TV have allowed less than attractive guys to land hot women essentially forever. Still, two wrongs don’t make a right, and Lucy’s inherent obnoxiousness makes her Stud Appeal tough to swallow.

Don’t get me wrong: I think Viswanathan has a certain cute look. Perhaps if Lucy came across as charming and less of a rampaging narcissist, I could swallow her ability to attract much bette looking men.

Viswanathan’s awful performance makes this a bridge too far. I don’t mean to repeat myself, but she really does become a constant drain on any potential the movie might boast.

That said, even a stellar lead performance wouldn’t redeem this atrocity. More of a bad first draft for a student project, Gallery offers a rom-com with no romance, no comedy and no appeal.

Footnote: I can’t figure out why the title reads Broken Hearts Gallery when the story always calls it the “Broken Heart Gallery”. It’s a bad sign when a film can’t even keep this straight.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B+/ Bonus D

The Broken Hearts Gallery appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.00:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a pleasant presentation.

Sharpness was almost always positive. A minor amount of softness crept into a couple of long shots, but otherwise the image remained tight and well-defined at all times.

I noticed no issues with shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes failed to appear. Print flaws also failed to mar the presentation.

Gallery went with an amber and teal influenced palette typical of the romantic comedy genre. Within the movie’s color design, the tones seemed solid.

Blacks were dark and deep, while shadows demonstrated nice smoothness. This was a consistently satisfying image.

As for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix of Gallery, it showed scope typical of the rom-com soundfield. This meant a limited soundscape without much to make it stand out from the crowd.

A few exteriors added modest involvement, but those instances remained fairly infrequent. Most of the flick came with a lot of ambience and not much else.

Audio quality seemed good. Speech was distinctive and natural, without edginess or other issues.

Music seemed warm and lush, while effects showed nice clarity and accuracy. Again, nothing about the mix impressed, but it suited the story.

Only minimal extras pop up here, and we find a two-minute, 32-second Gag Reel. It provides nothing more than the usual goofs and giggles.

Two Vignettes arrive: “Lucy” (0:49) and “Nick” (0:48). These offer some comments from actors Geraldine Viswanathan and Dacre Montgomery.

Both just deliver minor character overviews. They exist solely as promo pieces.

The disc opens with an ad for Yellow Rose. No trailer for Gallery appears here.

Whatever promise comes from the premise of The Broken Hearts Gallery zooms down the drain immediately, as the film’s obnoxious tone screams off the screen from literally Minute One. Matters never improve from there in this persistently grating, unfunny stab at romantic comedy. The Blu-ray brings very good picture along with acceptable audio and minor supplements. Avoid this actively terrible movie.

Viewer Film Ratings: 1 Stars Number of Votes: 2
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