Anthony's Film Review - Love, Sex, and Missed Connections (2012)

A funny and sweet movie about turmoil after a painful breakup...

As you might guess from its title, Love, Sex, and Missed Connections is a romantic comedy film that focuses on the pursuit of a relationship (or something like it) rather than the moments of being in one. It does what any good comedy of the genre should do: explore an original premise, make us laugh along the way, and provide us with something sweet to remember by the time it's over. Never mind the fact that this is an independent production rather than one from a major Hollywood studio. The look and feel of the movie really are no different from the mainstream. If anything, the only thing that's noticeable about Love, Sex, and Missed Connections is that its running time is only an hour and 17 minutes.

And because of its short running time, this film doesn't really waste any time in telling a story. The first few minutes clearly illustrate the life of the main character Neal (Kenny Stevenson). Basically, he's a typical Los Angeles guy whose life is monotonous, with the exact same morning routine day to day and a customer service job that really isn't all that pleasant. It's so bad that he does not hesitate to unleash his frustration on a customer through the phone. This scene is also a way to introduce Neal's current crisis: he had recently caught his girlfriend having sex with another guy.

Clearly, this is not the only movie about a guy having to deal with a painful breakup. Other movies, like the 2008 romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, easily come to mind. But what makes Love, Sex, and Missed Connections different is Missed Connections. What happens is that two of Neal's friends suggest an interesting scheme to help him move on from the breakup: an online ad site called Missed Connections, where users post messages about having seen certain attractive strangers and ask those people to write back. If people on Missed Connections are so lonely and are waiting for their missed connections to return, they must be very desperate, perhaps open to casual sex. Hence, Neal accepts the suggestion of meeting women through Missed Connections, tailoring his moves according to what the women post on the site.

As you can imagine, this is good material for comedy. As Neal meets a series of women in quick encounters, funny things happen. There's the stakeout where Neal and his buddies are trying to figure out which woman in a public place is the one on Missed Connections. When Neal finally approaches his contact, there are awkward moments when the woman wonders if Neal really is the missed connection she's hoping for. Even if that isn't an issue, there can still be doubt about whether Neal is a guy worth even getting closer to. That's not to say Neal doesn't sleep with any of these women. He does have bedroom success with some. Even with that, there can still be funny moments during the sexual encounter, like a woman's stuffed animal fetish, or afterward, like Neal being pressured to provide graphic details about the date.

Eventually, Neal meets the one. Well, sort of. Of all the women Neal encounters, a lady named Jane (Dorien Davies) somehow captures his attention. It could be that she's attractive, or maybe it's because she too has been through rough times. Perhaps its both. Whatever it is, there is the sense of opposition that occurs simultaneously with the force of attraction. Neal might feel closer to Jane than other women, but will Jane welcome him into her life? That's the big question late in the film.

The humor in Love, Sex, and Missed Connections is the kind you'd typically see in R-rated romantic comedies, including graphic sex-related dialogue and a bit of nudity. I felt that the characters in this film are funny and interesting, and the cast members playing them deliver performances that are just right. There were several scenes that made me laugh, like Neal having dreams of his ex-girlfriend's new guy naked and the part where Neal finds out his friends were hiding in a closet while he had a woman over. All of it is certainly enough for me to give this film a seal of approval.

The only thing left now is how positive my rating of this movie shall be. Overall, I give it a 7 out of 10, which is a step up from a movie that is just OK (one that would get a 6 out of 10). This is a movie that manages to deliver an interesting story with engaging characters and plenty of funny moments to make you chuckle. Plus, it does it all in a relatively short running time. Love, Sex, and Missed Connections is a romantic comedy that could possibly connect with the audience, if they give it a chance and not miss out on it.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Love, Sex, and Missed Connections, visit the Internet Movie Database.