Lonely Planet is the equivalent of a breezy summer beach read with its perfectly harmless and entertaining romance and the beautiful locations in Morocco, though it is largely the lead performance of the always excellent Laura Dern that shines throughout the film. 

 

Two of Laura Dern’s co-stars have had films where they have entered relationships with younger men: Reese Witherspoon with Home Again and Nicole Kidman with both Babygirl and A Family Affair. So it’s only time that Dern gets her moment, and it just happens to be with one of the Hemsworth brothers. Yes, set against the beautiful backdrop of Morocco, the latest Netflix romantic drama follows Dern who portrays a writer trying to finish her next novel at a writer’s retreat, where she meets a younger man and begins to develop a connection with him. It’s a sentimental film that is more concerned with its characters than a cheesy romance, though there are those hallmark romantic moments fans want from this genre, allowing writer and director Susannah Grant to deliver a more adult focused romance than we are used to seeing in a streaming film, which is a treat for any fans of Dern.

 

Grant is best known for writing the screenplay for the classic Steven Soderbergh film Erin Brockovich that earned Julia Roberts her Academy Award. Knowing this, it comes as no surprise that the writing of the characters in Lonely Planet is very insightful, capturing two more complex individuals. While the swoon worthy romance that unfolds between Katherine and Owen is the marketing hook of the film, that is only the surface of Grant’s writing and it is much more than a romance between an older woman and a younger man. It is about two individuals finding someone who truly sees you and understands you, while developing your own sense of self-worth, all set against the intellectual world of literary writing. In Katherine, Grant paints the portrait of a woman trying to start her life anew while being stuck trying to write her latest novel, trying to close one chapter of her life while figuring out where to go next. For Owen, Grant explores a young man in a cutthroat industry trying to prove himself while maintaining his compassion, and coming to terms that the relationship he is in is not truly what he is looking for. Through these two character arcs of self-discovery, a natural romance unfolds between the characters that has the hot and sultry moments viewers will want from such a film, while also creating a more sophisticated romance than your typical streaming romance flick. It’s all aided by the gorgeous locations of Morocco where the film was shot, giving a natural beauty to match and add a magical quality to the romance of Katherine and Owen.

 

It comes as no surprise that Laura Dern is great, as there is never a time where she does not deliver a terrific performance. As Katherine, Dern revels in the emotions of her character, hard set on closing the past chapter of her life by finishing her novel, ready to shut herself off from the rest of the writer’s retreat in Morocco. But after she meets Hemsworth’s Owen, Dern slowly begins to break down Katherine’s wall as a curiosity in Owen has caught her attention as she begins to realize she may have met someone who truly understands her. Dern’s onscreen passion for the character and charm makes you immediately care for Katherine, while her romantic chemistry with Hemsworth is enough to make you blush. Hemsworth is at his best when he is opposite Dern, having a true equal who can raise his acting game to a new level. His scenes without Dern are not bad by any means, but they are missing that spark that he shares with Dern for over half of the film. 

It’s hard to say no to a trip to Morocco starring Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth, and Lonely Planet both satisfies viewer’s desire for a solid romantic drama and easy escapism from the comfort of their own home. With Susannah Grant developing a more sophisticated romance that is more concerned with the development of her character’s that propels them to a new meaningful state in life rather than a racy romance, Lonely Planet becomes an entertaining romantic drama that is elevated by the great romantic chemistry between Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth.