It was the late, great Carrie Fisher that once said, "take your broken heart, make it into art", a sentiment which effectively serves as the premise for a new romantic-comedy, The Broken Hearts Gallery. In her feature-length debut, Natalie Krinsky directs her own screenplay which tells the story of a 20-something-year-old art gallery assistant in New York with a tendency for hoarding who, after suffering a break-up and losing her job, creates a pop-up space containing items from previous relationships to help herself, and others, let go.
The presence of popstar Selena Gomez as executive producer suitably sets the tone for The Broken Hearts Gallery, a romantic comedy that doesn't so much reinvent the wheel as give it a new lick of paint. Broad, formulaic but well-executed, the filmmakers here know exactly what they want this film to do and be. Krinsky's script puts as much time and effort into its themes of sisterhood and friendship as it does into the romance, building multi-dimensional characters and personalities you enjoy spending time with. Thanks to a touching, surprising mother-daughter subplot which hits the emotional beats more effectively than the third act relationship complications, The Broken Hearts Gallery has more depth than the surface may initially suggest.
Krinsky impresses as director in her first outing, crafting a sturdy feature that takes everybody's favourite genre elements and updates them for our times. Armed with a pop-filled soundtrack that feels like it has been tapped directly into the TikTok algorithm, Gallery makes no qualms that it's aiming for a younger audience; this isn't straining to be cool and edgy but achieves an authenticity it never loses throughout. Like Booksmart before, a high-bar it never comes close to exceeding but still puts in an admirable effort, and Blockers, with which it feels closest to in kin and spirit, Gallery has a genuine understanding of its audience and rarely tries to be anything more than an entertaining, heartfelt escape to the movies.
Gallery shares an actress with Blockers in Geraldine Viswanathan, and what a star she is. An endlessly charming, wholly lovable performance that effortlessly delivers the all-important humour while shouldering the dramatic weight with similar ease, Viswanathan cements herself as one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents. Opposite the similarly charming and certainly swoon-worthy Darce Montgomery, the pair conjure a believable, palpable chemistry that makes them such a joy to watch, and pulls the picture through some of the previously-mentioned less inspired narrative beats.
Rounding out the strong ensemble are Molly Gordon and Phillipa Soo, offering amble support as friends of Viswanathan's Lucy who exist outside of the central friendship that so many supporting characters within this genre feel restricted to. They, too, bring a refreshing diversity that paints a more accurate depiction of the world around us than most of Hollywood's output, even in its sunny optimism and neatly-tied narrative contrivances.
The Broken Hearts Gallery isn't the most substantial flick sitting in theatres at the minute but if it's fun, light-hearted entertainment that you're after, then you're in luck. It's unlikely to resonate or play well with those outside of its targeted demographic but not every film needs to aim for four-quadrants. For what it is, The Broken Hearts Gallery is an enjoyable genre piece that showcases the brilliance of Geraldine Viswanathan and sets writer-director Natalie Krinsky up for a solid career ahead.
Summary: The Broken Hearts Gallery showcases a charming star in Geraldine Viswanathan and a great talent in Natalie Krinsky, who crafts a heartfelt and thoroughly enjoyable romantic-comedy in her directorial debut.