Long before fake news became the rage, the promises of fake press releases defined Hollywood hype. The deception lives on with the following heartless pledge: “For two couples, the future unfolds in different decades and different places, but a hidden connection will bring them together in a way no one could have predicted.” Wanna bet? Of the two male leads, sickly rum heir Jorge (Adan Canto) wasn’t supposed to live past 20 while charming jock Chris (budding teen heartthrob Jacob Elordi) is hale, hearty, and as gawky as can be, Single Jorge stalks flight attendant Leslie (Radha Mitchell), while Chris, working double-duty as the film’s god-awful narrator, is banking on a romantic future with Sam (Tiera Skovbye). Hogtied, blindfolded, and seated in another theatre, you’d still have “the secret” figured out in 10 minutes. Nothing about Lance Hool’s (Steel Dawn) direction distinguishes this from the dozens of prefabricated tales of doomed romance otherwise known as the Hallmark Channel. How about something other than straight cuts to move us between time frames? It purports to be based on a true story. If that’s really the case, God has clearly seen too many bad movies. (2020) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.