WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Love at First Sight.
Summary
- Love at First Sight has become Netflix's top trending movie due to its electrifying cast and effortless appeal, delivering a sentimental and fulfilling fairytale ending.
- Haley Lu Richardson shines as the relatable protagonist, Hadley Sullivan, going through life's obstacles and finding love along the way.
- The impressive cast, including Ben Hardy, Rob Delaney, and Sally Phillips, brings depth and emotion to their roles, making Love at First Sight a heartwarming experience.
Love at First Sight has overtaken Netflix's top trending movies, and part of the reason why is the film's electrifying and endearing cast of characters — many of whom audiences can recognize from roles in various film and TV productions. The new Netflix movie delivers prime romance feels with effortless appeal. It offers a sentimental, light viewing opportunity with pleasant esthetics and a simple plot that culminates in a fulfilling fairytale ending. Love at First Sight's generic romance formula, underlined with mentions of fate and the statistics of finding love, may not be everyone's cup of tea. However, the film's cast of characters remains engrossing.
Based on the novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, Netflix's Love at First Sight is a narrated tale of the progression of love between Hadley Sullivan and Oliver Jones after they meet-cute at an airport and lose each other in the commotion of travel. Love at First Sight's touching soundtrack enhances Hadley and Oliver's story. However, it is their searing chemistry that drives home the themes of fate, love, and the ability of two strangers to fall for one another at first glance. With its impressive cast, the film delivers a love story that's shot its way up to Netflix's number one movie.
Haley Lu Richardson
At the forefront of Love at First Sight's cast of characters is Haley Lu Richardson, who plays the relatable leading lady, Hadley Sullivan. Hadley is on her way to her estranged father's wedding overseas when fate decides to take its course, and she misses her flight to London. Love at First Sight documents Hadley as she rolls with the punches, facing obstacles she cannot control and making decisions that alter the course of her life. The serendipitous rom-com eventually settles on a "happily ever after" ending that finds its protagonist reconciled with her father and together with the love of her life, Oliver.
Aside from Netflix's new romance, Richardson has starred in comedic and dramatic roles for both film and television. Richardson performed as the love interest opposite Cole Sprouse in another romance that she's known for called Five Feet Apart. She can also be seen in comedy dramas like HBO series The White Lotus and movies like The Edge of Seventeen (2016), Unpregnant (2020), and Columbus (2017). Her recent role as Tanya's assistant in The White Lotus season 2's cast of characters could lead to audiences seeing Richardson in more prominent roles going forward.
Ben Hardy
Richardson's co-star Ben Hardy plays Hadley's love interest, Oliver Jones. Oliver is on his way to London when he meets Hadley. However, his circumstances are a lot grimmer, as his travels will bring him to his sickly mother's living wake. Despite his family's tragic circumstances, fate steps in to offset his heartbreak with an airport meet-cute and the start of an everlasting romance with Hadley.
Hardy has had other prominent roles throughout his career, and audiences can spot him in several large productions across film and TV. Hardy has played Angel in X-Men: Apocalypse, famed drummer Roger Taylor in Bohemian Rhapsody, and took over the role of Peter Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. However, if audiences wish for more of Hardy, they can also view him in ing roles in smaller productions like the UK's Drunk History, the historical romance Mary Shelley, or the thrilling TV miniseries, The Woman in White.
Rob Delaney
Rob Delaney plays Hadley's father, Andrew Sullivan, who, despite remarrying after a nasty split from her mother, makes sure to prioritize his daughter through the changes of their family dynamic. Delaney has an extensive career in Hollywood and is not just an actor but a comedian, writer, and activist as well. Apart from performing in his own comedy TV special aptly titled Rob Delaney: Jackie, he has tackled recognizable roles, including Peter in Deadpool 2, leading man Rob in the romantic comedy series Catastrophe, and main character Hatch Flood in The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Katrina Nare
Katrina Nare gives a promising performance as Hadley's step-mother-to-be and nails the clingy anxiety of someone marrying into an established family. Nare has given notable ing performances in obscure productions like Doom: Annihilation and The Car: Road to Revenge. She's also had stints in the Star Wars universe. Nare can be seen as Windi in Disney+ series Andor and as Annie of the BAFTA nominated series Breeders.
Jameela Jamil
To evoke the best parts of Smith's novel, Love at First Sight employs the use of a meticulous narrator to detail the facts and figures of fate. Jameela Jamil is cast as Love at First Sight's all-knowing storyteller, and while her overtures of love and relationship statistics become somewhat redundant after a while, they emphasize just how special Hadley and Oliver's relationship is. Jamil is equipped for the role with a personable history of podcasting and TV hosting, as well as a career in acting that includes her roles as conflicting character Tahani in The Good Place and a cappella performer Gisela in Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin.
Tom Taylor
Tom Taylor plays Oliver's eccentric younger brother, Luther Jones. His performance brings punchy comedy to the overall story and helps to balance the heavy implications of his mother's prognosis. Audiences can find Taylor in less sappy parts in children's action-adventure The Kid Who Would Be King, where he plays Lance; the multidimensional action fantasy The Dark Tower, where he portrays Jake; and the popular Viking series The Last Kingdom, where he brings a young Uhtred to life.
Dexter Fletcher
In a small but significant role, Dexter Fletcher portrays Oliver's father. Fletcher has an expansive history in Hollywood, and before becoming a notable, two-time BAFTA nominated director for films Rocketman and Wild Bill, acted in a slew of film and television roles, including Bugsy Malone, The Elephant Man, Band of Brothers, Les Misérables (the TV movie), Hotel Babylon, and more. Love at First Sight marks one of the few productions he has acted in since focusing on his directorial career, and it's a welcome development, as his performance as Oliver's father brings a warm and grounded feeling to the overall film.
Sally Phillips
Rounding out Love at First Sight's cast is Sally Phillips, who plays Oliver's dying mother, Tessa. Phillips has an extensive acting career. Whether it's as Bridget's best friend Shazza in Bridget Jones's Diary, the politician Minna in Veep, or one of the many characters she portrays in her sketch series Smack the Pony, Phillips brings nuance and liveliness to every role she steps into. This is especially true of Tessa, as she convincingly portrays a dying woman who sustains her bubbly perception of life despite her devastating diagnosis. In her Love at First Sight role, she accentuates the beauty of love, both romantic and familial, even during life's darkest moments.
