‘Lonely Planet’: Love and Angst Under the Moroccan Sun

Actors Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth give it their all but are sabotaged by a predictable screenplay.
‘Lonely Planet’: Love and Angst Under the Moroccan Sun
Katherine Loewe (Laura Dern) meets Owen Brophy (Liam Hemsworth) at a writers conference, in "Lonely Planet." Hillary Bronwyn Gayle/Fox/Netflix
Michael Clark
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R | 1h 34m | Drama, Romance | 2024

For almost the entire history of the written word, song, stage, and motion pictures, the principal subject has been romance. Whether in a dramatic, comic, or tragic context, loveor the promise of ithas been the dominant theme among all others.
Some people like adventure, some like thrillers, but everyone, to some to degree or another, is open to watching a romantic story unfold and conclude. Arguably Shakespeare’s most famous and enduring work, “Romeo & Juliet” is the most romantic story of all-time, even though (big spoiler ahead) both title characters die.

Boy Meets Girl

For the most part, romantic movies tend to avoid tragedy, and instead follow the boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-wins-girl-back blueprint. Most of the time this occurs between leads that are about the same age, and, if not, the male is always older than the femalesometimes decades apart.

This construct has mostly been accepted and well-received, rarely challenged, or second-guessed. A 50-, 60-, or 70-year-old man courting a woman in her 20s or 30s in a movie? Not problem. Why not? It’s the ultimate double standard. Pairing an older woman with a younger man on-screen is not only rare and eyebrow-raising but, in some instances, it is practically forbidden.

Sharing its title with a series of travel guidebooks, writer-director Susannah Grant’s new “Lonely Planet” does little to change the perception of the “older woman-younger man” theme for the better and, in some instances, makes it worse.

Susannah Grant directed "Lonely Planet." (Netflix)
Susannah Grant directed "Lonely Planet." Netflix

Exotic Marrakesh

The story is set in Marrakesh, Morocco at a posh resort hosting a writer’s workshop. My experience with this type of event is that they are usually attended by fledgling, upstart writers looking to pick the brains of others like them. The attendees here are all very successful writers, most of them are internationally known and financially flush.

Of the eight there, six of them are prickly egoists that aren’t particularly likeable. Lily (Diana Silvers) is the youngest of the group whose debut novel is a smash hit, yet success hasn’t gone to her head (yet).

Lily (Diana Silvers) brings a guest, Owen Brophy (Liam Hemsworth), to a writers conference, in "Lonely Planet." (Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Netflix)
Lily (Diana Silvers) brings a guest, Owen Brophy (Liam Hemsworth), to a writers conference, in "Lonely Planet." Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Netflix

For reasons never explained, Lily is the only writer to bring a “plus one” guest to the event. That would be her boyfriend, Owen (Liam Hemsworth), a buff and affable dude who works in finance and corporate buyouts.

Owen has nothing in common with these people; it’s something they remind him of frequently. The lone exception is Katherine (Laura Dern), a novelist who is easily the most successful one there. Not interested in socializing, Katherine just wants solitude so she can get past her current bout of writer’s block.

After a few only-in-the-movies “meet-cute” interchanges where they initially bicker, Katherine and Owen stop denying their mutual attraction for each other. This is the point where “Lonely Planet” devolves into typical dramatic romance territory where each scene becomes more predictable than the last.

This is just Grant’s second foray as a director and the good news is that it’s much better than her debut (“Catch and Release,” 2006). It’s her 10th screenplay, and she is now batting a hair better than .500. When she hits the sweet spot (“Erin Brockovich,” “In Her Shoes,” “Confirmation”), she’s dead on. When she misses, she misses big.

Missed Opportunity

“Lonely Planet” isn’t a big miss, but more of a huge missed opportunity. The two leads, despite a 20-plus years age difference and radically different acting styles, have palpable chemistry. Setting the movie in Morocco was a great idea and is more than reminiscent in look and plot to “Under the Tuscan Sun” from 2003.

Under the Tuscan Sun” starred Diane Lane who, like the Dern character here, is a novelist with writer’s block recovering from an unpleasant romantic breakup. She soaks up some foreign sun and eventually falls for a much younger man. It was rated PG-13. “Lonely Planet” is rated R.

The R rating isn’t for nudity or violence, but rather language. The movie is littered with F-bombs, which, given that this is a romantic drama, come off as more than a little gratuitous and completely unnecessary. Had this been a bawdy romantic comedy along the lines of, say “Bridesmaids,” “Palm Springs,” or the “Bridget Jones” franchise, this would have been fine if not outright expected.

Katherine Loewe (Laura Dern) and Owen Brophy (Liam Hemsworth), in "Lonely Planet." (Anne Marie Fox/Netflix)
Katherine Loewe (Laura Dern) and Owen Brophy (Liam Hemsworth), in "Lonely Planet." Anne Marie Fox/Netflix

Make ‘em Laugh?

What’s even more frustrating is that with just a few minor tweaks, this could have easily been made as a comedy. The love-triangle main plot and the collection of colorful supporting characters would make this eminently viable.

Grant seems to be tone deaf here, not realizing (or caring) that the great majority of romantic drama fans are over-30 females, most of whom blanch at excessive profanity.

To Grant’s credit, she ends the movie in quite an unexpected and welcomed manner. It was the only facet of the film that wasn’t thoroughly predictable, but it was too little too late.

The movie begins streaming Oct. 11 on Netflix.
‘Lonely Planet’ Director: Susannah Grant Starring: Laura Dern, Liam Hemsworth, Diana Silvers Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes MPAA Rating: R Release Date: Oct. 11, 2024 Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of 5
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Michael Clark
Michael Clark
Author
Originally from the nation's capital, Michael Clark has provided film content to over 30 print and online media outlets. He co-founded the Atlanta Film Critics Circle in 2017 and is a weekly contributor to the Shannon Burke Show on FloridaManRadio.com. Since 1995, Mr. Clark has written over 5,000 movie reviews and film-related articles. He favors dark comedy, thrillers, and documentaries.