Rye Lane Offers a Short and Sweet Play on the Classic Rom-Com

Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Even the most avid film fan, sometimes sitting down to watch a full-length movie can feel like a chore. It can be even more difficult when it’s a movie you know nothing about, aside from a few good reviews from some trustee Letterboxd followers. This daunting task is set before you and the only choice to make is; face it or put it off for another night. After perusing Hulu one night, Rye Lane presented itself among the streamer’s roster of shiny new releases. One hour and 22 minutes later, Rye Lane left this viewers’s jaw on the floor. Raine Allen-Miller’s 2023 debut is a brilliant romantic comedy about two unlucky-in-love people in South London, who each try to help each other process their recent break-ups. Together they go on an adventure that starts as a meet-cute, which evolves into a heist caper, and ends in a very sweet romantic send off.

One of the most important things in a romantic comedy is the chemistry between your star couple. Your Harrys and Sallys or Ilsas and Ricks or Jennas and Matts. In Rye Lane, we have our previously mentioned Dom and Yas, played by David Jonsson (Industry) and newcomer Vivian Oparah. From the jump, you feel a spark between these characters. Their banter comes with the awkward faux pas of meeting anybody new, but it comes off as sweet and endearing. A lot of credit is due to the screenwriters for their ability to craft such wonderful conversations but equal credit needs to be given to Jonsson and Oparah for performing this work so expertly. One of my favorite things was the cheeky little glances the actors would give each other while walking through a shot, or the way Dom lights up when Yas coaxes him into an off-the-rails endeavor. Not to mention, this film has an incredible ensemble cast. Dom’s best friend Eric, played by Benjamin Sarpong-Broni, is a riot and puts on an amazing comedic performance in just a handful of scenes. Beyond the performances, you will constantly catch set-dressing eye-candy; a guy dressed in a cowboy suit, a lady wearing bright pink on a cold dreary day, a Love Actually reference we dare not spoil for you here. 

Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Another aspect of this movie that really shines is the cinematography (Olan Collardy) and directing (Allen-Miller). Oftentimes, shot set-ups start off balanced only to be followed by a more off-kilter shot. There’s also heavy use of fisheye lens to help separate the foreground of a shot and the background, which adds to the playfulness of the film. There’s also such a bold use of color: Bright blues, green, and flashy  pinks are constantly used for lighting or set dressing. It’s these little uses of unconventional moments that helped to keep the viewer visually engaged with the film. Where this is most present is in the flashback sequences, when Dom and Yas both have a chance to recount their recent break-ups to each other. Basically, it’s all the elements from before but cranked up to 11. However, the movie isn’t always blasting you with color and fish eye shots. It still takes its time and gives its audience moments to breathe. A shot that comes to mind is Yas driving Dom on the back of a moped, with the black background of the night sky, the illumination of the streetlights, and a medium closeup of our couple. Cruising like the world can’t touch them; in their own little world.

Above all, Rye Lane offers a sincere look at a romantic-comedy. Oftentimes when a genre film comes out nowadays, it’s about the subverting classic tropes. With Rye Lane, there is little subversion—it is a romantic-comedy through and through, just fit with modern touches. It doesn’t try to rewrite the formula, because they know the well-established formula is good. All you have to do with that formula is execute it well, and Rye Lane does that in spades.