Her infectious zeal lends credence to a dysfunctional character while illuminating the very essence of being and existing as a short-changed millennial in New York
The Broken Hearts Gallery. Pic/Youtube
The Broken Hearts Gallery
U/A: Comedy, Romance
Cast: Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo, Arturo Castro, Suki Waterhouse, Sheila McCarthy
Director: Natalie Krinsky
Rating: 
This effort by Natalie Krinsky (credited with writing and direction) may stay faithful to the classic beats and tropes of the romcom genre yet it doesn't feel stale and manages to keep you engaged, in good humour and interested. The narrative is basically fashioned on empathy and compassion to those unlucky in love.
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Set in millennial New York (and feeling like it) mirroring the cosmopolitan diversity of variegated gender and cultures, the narrative mines its humour from the lead character Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan), a young gallery assistant of Indian origin, and her attitude towards her rather abysmal success at relationships. She, like many other characters in the film (whom we are introduced to through Harry Met Sally like interviews) are collectors/hoarders of tchotchkes, knickknacks, souvenirs as symbols of failed relationships that have sentimental value but are otherwise considered worthless trash. While painful breakups, broken hearts, and finding yourself take-up most of the runtime, it's the underlying theme of a Broken Hearts Gallery that could bring closure to the pains of the past, form a sort of support system for the broken hearted and help heal them – that grabs your attention here. It lends a sort of new age, hip twist to a familiar generic romantic comedy.
Geraldine Viswanathan, an Australian of Indian origin, as Lucy, highlights her native traits while doing everything a New Yorker does. Her facial expressions may seem exaggerated but that and her robust energy, risible spunk and sharp comedic timing makes her a perfect fit for the quirky role. Her character may not be entirely likeable but Geraldine's super confident take makes it difficult to fault her. Her chemistry with Dacre Montgomery who plays Nick, her eventual love interest, is not entirely palpable but it's fairly convincing nevertheless.
There's a lot of underutilized Broadway talent here. Bernadette Peters as Eva Woolf of Woolf Gallery New York, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Max the man who breaks Lucy's heart, Philippa Soo as model Nadine who along with Molly Gordon as Law Student Amanda, Lucy' s longtime friends and roommates, show up on screen minus their singing talent. The singing (Karaoke most of it) stays true as it was meant to be off tune, Elton John and Kiki Dee's Don't Go Breaking My Heart is frequently played and the background score sets up a peppy beat to keep the momentum going even through the predictable clichés of crass, screaming, man-shaming moments. The humor experienced here is not necessarily from the dialogue but from the way in which the entire narrative is framed and presented and Geraldine Viswanathan does the rest. Her infectious zeal lends credence to a dysfunctional character while illuminating the very essence of being and existing as a short-changed millennial in New York.
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