Going through a break-up is difficult and getting ourselves back on our feet prior to that relationship can take even longer than expected. Romantic comedies are a tough genre of film for me to watch because it essentially boils down to whether I laughed or not; although there are exceptions to that rule. From first time writer and director Natalie Krinsky, The Broken Hearts Gallery exceeds many expectations and gave us a thoughtful story with a bit of romance that feels natural, and before I forget to mention, is quite funny too.

The story takes places in Brooklyn, New York where young Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) is the happiest she’s ever been. She’s an assistant to a gallery curator, has a handsome looking boyfriend and is in love. All of this comes crashing down one night when she discovers that her boyfriend’s ex comes back into the picture, turning Lucy’s world upside down. He dumps her, citing his age and that they both want different things in life. After the disastrous evening, Lucy orders an Uber/Lyft but mistakenly gets into the wrong vehicle. All this heartbreak has made her mind so fragile that she tells this stranger all that just occurred during the drive home. It turns out that the driver, who we later get to know a lot better, is Nick (Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey), a man who’s also down on his luck. This strange young lady just jumped into his Prius and refused to leave! When I first saw Nick, I thought he looked like a discount Zac Efron mixed with Chris Pine. I had to look several times so I wouldn’t be confused!

Anyway, Lucy is a wild card kind of girl. She talks a lot, is a major drama queen almost to the point of annoyance. Nick, on the other hand, is a nice guy, works hard and has a dream of building a unique hotel in the heart of Brooklyn. He has ambitions but most of the money that he’s invested is nearly gone. Now meeting Lucy has put Nick is a situation. One that he wouldn’t have ever anticipated. I won’t get into much details here, but I’ll jump ahead a bit. They later meet each other when Lucy sees her ex with his past ex having dinner together. Recognizing her, Nick pulls her away from an awkward confrontation and whisks her away.

It’s here that they begin a fun and joyous friendship. He shows her the results of his hotel which from the looks of it are in its infancy stage and while giving her a tour, Lucy becomes inspired by a blank wall. A canvas so to speak and comes up with a gallery that showcases the items people keep to remember past relationships they were in. Lucy has her boyfriend’s tie and suggest that she and Nick work together on this project. A unique hotel with a gallery that no one has thought of! Talk about a unique sight in the heart of the New York.

The movie goes on to focus on the growing friendship between Lucy and Nick and the life lessons they learn along the way while making progress on the gallery. Lucy posts her idea on social media, which gets major attention, and even while I was watching, I found that I would visit a gallery if one such existed. Lucy invites some of these people into the hotel which is under heavy construction, and films their testimonials with her phone.

Geraldine Viswanathan is the star of the movie and she brings so much energy into the film. At first, she annoyed me but given some time I came to enjoy her. I liked her character, as whimsical, quirky and perhaps a hoarder in some respects, and I even enjoyed her chemistry with Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey. They work well together and their evolving relationship may feel cliché at times, but nothing that I wasn’t half-expecting anyway.

Now, as mentioned before, this is a romantic comedy and I did laugh quite a bit. It took me about twenty minutes to get into the movie as some of the jokes weren’t to my taste, but if you’re in the market for an upbeat rom-com, then this is one not to miss.

Score 4 out of 5

The Broken Hearts Gallery is a wonderful piece of entertainment that is funny, cherry and offers up an infectious performance from its lead female star. I really got hooked into the script by the writer/director Natalie Krinsky and I look forward to seeing what she has in store next. I love the idea of showcasing the items we hold onto after someone leaves us, and learning where Lucy got the idea for this is also a nice touch. This is a movie that is perfect for anyone. For heart-breakers, people with a broken heart and the others who are single as a dollar bill, The Broken Hearts Gallery is an uplifting story with great performances, fun characters and a sweet story at its core. It’ll make you laugh, smile and be hopeful for the future.