Page 11 - Martin Downs Bulletin - October '23

Martin Downs, Page 11

FilM review

Choose Love first interactive film, twentysomething woman, Cami Conway (a cute Laura
which I immediately Marano) who – apparently unsure about the state of
By Nils A. Shapiro – and correctly – her career and present relationship of three years with
assumed to mean that boyfriend Paul – is visiting a psychic/fortune teller. Not
For this film I as a viewer would to worry, she is assured. The tarot cards reveal that, very
you, the viewer, have some part to play soon, exciting new love will enter her life.
direct the story line in what took place on Sure enough, within the next several scenes she comes
and the ending. the screen. face to face with two prospects:
If nothing else, that Jack (Jordi Webber), an old flame from her high school
This is not a great film. sounded interesting days – “the one who got away” – who is back in town,
It isn’t even a particularly enough to bring the leading protests for humanitarian causes and apparently
good film. In fact, I never film to the attention of interested in picking up where they left off; and,
got to actually see the this column’s readers. Rex (Avan Jogra), a British-accented famous rock star
ending! So why have I And for someone like who shows up to record an album at the Sound Studio
selected it to review for this month’s column? For the me who has never played a video game, the idea sounded where Cami works as a recording engineer and takes a
same reason I decided to watch it myself when I came like fun. fancy to her, even inviting her to perform a brief duet
across the description of it while browsing on Netflix: an It was. For a while. with him on a record when he learns of her long ago
identification of Choose Love as the streaming network’s We are introduced at the opening to a young, abandoned dream of a singing career.
By now Cami has already looked straight at me, in
front of my TV, several times asking for help while on
the screen two or three options appear for me to click on
with my TV remote control. When she first spots Jack,
should she approach him or walk away? (After all, she
is in a serious relationship with Paul.) When Paul shows
up with an engagement ring, should she accept it as her
commitment of marriage? Should Cami quit her job or
NOVEMBER 10–12, 2023 STUART, FLORIDA ask for a raise? When Rex invites Cami to San Francisco
to sing with him at one of his appearances, should she
VETERANS DAY WEEKEND
accept or be honest and explain her relationship with
Paul? Cami’s requests for your help keep coming, so you
need to keep your remote control ready in hand.
At many points throughout the film the decisions you
make for Cami determine the path that the film takes from
that point on … until the next decision you have to make
… and so on and so on.
It boggles the mind to imagine the number of script
changes and scenes that had to be filmed in order to
complete the production of Choose Love.
The problem for me, however, turned out to be a
serious one. Since I didn’t select any of the “love choices”
available to Cami and opted to see all three possibilities
play out (although I did personally prefer one above
the others), the version of the film I watched offered no
ending!
For a running time that claimed to be one hour and 17
minutes, I decided after a little over two hours – with no
way to find an ending to the film – that my best bet was
to just turn off my TV. Which is what I did.
I suspect that the Director, Stuart McDonald, and
Screenwriter Josann McGibbon, want you to give Cami
the happy ending they feel she deserves – with one of the
three men. That should work to help find the end to the
film. In the meantime, you should at least have some fun
directing the story with your little remote control. It’s an
interesting twist.
*****
Second Thoughts: My wife, Linda, who watched
the film with me, had her own opinion. She felt that the
director and screenwriter got the whole thing wrong: It
isn’t Cami who deserves our constant decision-making
device throughout Choose Love, it’s her faithful boyfriend
of three years Paul, an attractive, successful young
attorney who adores Cami and has surprised her with an
engagement ring and proposal of marriage!
What is he doing with a girl who can’t make a decision
about anything at all, including the most important one in
her life – still considering a swarthy high school ex who
always looks like he needs a shave, haircut and bath, and
has told her he doesn’t ever want to have children … or a
rock star who doesn’t own a home because he is on tour
all year, flown around on his private plane and living in
hotels every day and night.
Linda would cut the film down to a short feature by
giving Paul all the decision he needs with just one click
of the remote control: Forget decision-making for Cami.
Find someone who deserves you.

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