Modern Love is testament to what can be achieved by a production that approaches the making of each television episode as if it were the filming of a big budget movie.
Each episode of Modern Love delivers a new protagonist with a new kind of love dilemma that must be overcome by the end of our visit with them. The ‘love’ is primarily of the romantic variety but not in every case, so let this not turn you off if you feel you’ve spent quite enough of your precious streaming time watching endless couples dramas. Subjects such as grief, mental illness, May/December relationships, second chances and solo pregnancy all feature in this new take on a very old central theme. None of us are alone in this life, it’s just a matter of making the right connections with others.
In reference to the big screen feel of Modern Love, it comes as a bit of a shock at the end of each piece to realize that you have in fact been glued to your small screen for less than an hour. Each story is satisfyingly all-encompassing from the golden tones of an autumnal New York to the deceptively emotive musical score that perfectly conveys the whimsy and the warmth of each character’s journey.
All gorgeous filming and delightful musical score aside, there are some huge drawcards here by way of the actors we meet in Modern Love. You know how you remember how great some actors are, when you see them pop up unexpectedly again in some of your newer TV shows? That is what you might happily experience here again with Modern Love. Think Ann Hathaway being ridiculously fabulous in an urban environment, Tina Fey and John Slattery delivering dead-pan and deadly marital insults, Dev Patel being adorable yet annoying as his character realizes that his one great love has already come and gone from his young life.
Modern Love is an anthology of what we wish the world would serve up to us when our own rubbish decisions have led us to some dark or just plain questionable places. Keep your seats till the end, as you will have a smug little wrap up and overlap that ties all the lovers together by the location in which Modern Love is set – New York.
Love, sweet glorious love, is delivered by way of eight stupidly enjoyable episodes that will have you clutching at your heart afterwards, or at the very least coming up with some very dramatic heartfelt sighs. Tell your romantically inclined friends and also tell your teens.
Modern Love premieres on Amazon Prime 18 October 2019.
Andy Thompson
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Picard (Amazon Prime) – streaming review
- BuzzFeed Unsolved True Crime S6 (YouTube & Amazon Prime) – streaming review
- Homecoming (Amazon Prime) – streaming review
Andy is a Perth based reviewer who has been moderating online book clubs and working with not-for-profits roughly a bazillion years. Andy contributes to The Blurb on books, streaming TV, movies and various other shiny things she picks up. She is also a bit obsessed with podcasts.
