All My Life – A Charming Tearjerker (Early Review)

Good love stories are timeless. Whether one is a fan of the romance genre or not, these films always find enough of an audience thus keeping the wheel turning. Despite more or less following the same formula. they still hold a fair amount of appeal for the escapism factor from seeing good-looking people defying the same odds, overcoming the same set of challenges before inevitably falling in love. As there is only so much that can be done, what ultimately sets films apart are their execution. Sort of throwing a wrench into that formula is All My Life, the latest romance based on a true story. While it’s easy to say that anyone familiar with the true story will essentially know how this film will play out, the allure of seeing said story played out on screen will surely be strong enough to outweigh that familiarity factor though those familiar with any film shouldn’t find this one all that challenging either. In the end, the draw will be its charming stars, Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr. who both deliver, making the film a solid watch in spite of those aforementioned issues.

All My Life follows the story of Jen (Rothe) and Sol (Shum. Jr) whose upcoming wedding plans are thrown into a loop once Sol is tragically diagnosed with liver cancer. Early on, it was abundantly clear that these people were meant to be together, it was essentially fate. With a running time at around the 90 minute mark, things go by on the quick side as far as Jen and Sol’s relationship was concerned (whatever was going to happen was predictable and inevitable anyway but still) but this only seems fitting considering the subject matter (though the argument is still valid). Though the character of Jen was more on the thin side, she and Sol were great for each other. The focus of the film tilted more towards Sol as Jen challenged him to pursue his dreams as the big theme that the film goes out of its way to remind viewers was to live in the moment to make the most out of whatever time we have. Little did they know that they had to take those words to heart.

All My Life was at its best as Jen and Sol dealt with the latter’s health issues. The signs were there so it was only a matter of time. Nevertheless, Sol was still young and they had each other. They were compelling to watch as Sol’s condition marked a drastic change in his demeanour and personality while Jen struggled with the growing possibility of a world without the man she loved. She continued to push but suffice it to say that it wasn’t easy for either of them, sparking moments of drama that surprisingly holds up for the most part. Luckily for them, their supportive (albeit thin) circle of friends were their to try to pick them up out of their funk. However, things weren’t all doom and gloom as there were fun times to be had here. Though armed with the best of intentions, there is no fighting fate for better or worse. While the end could be seen from a mile away, get ready to cry.

Ultimately, the best part of All My Life of course was Rothe and Shum Jr. and their charming performances as Jen and Sol respectively. The film may be on the derivative side but their great chemistry somewhat helped to break through that and made it more watchable as a whole. Though Jen was an arguably thin character, Rothe made the best out of it with a powerful performance in her own right as the concerned partner. Meanwhile, Shum Jr. had more to do as Sol as his worsening condition presented itself as an inner conflict amongst everything else in his life that he almost sold. Despite this, he still brought plenty of charisma and energy to the table to make up for it.

At the end of the day, though All My Life may not bring anything new to the table, some quality turns by a pair of young upstarts still make it a worthwhile watch.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.