TV writer Natalie Krinsky’s directorial debut, The Broken Hearts Gallery, is a textbook romantic comedy. It checks all the usual boxes: the quirky protagonist, her eccentric friends, a failed relationship, the new man in her life that she’s initially just friends with, the return of the ex, the usual misunderstandings… all leading to the foregone conclusion. However, there is something that sets this predictable story apart—the lead actor, Geraldine Viswanathan, and her irresistible charm. Her Lucy looks nothing like your usual romcom heroine. The pleasant surprise is that this is not commented on or used as a plot point. And Lucy remains the same throughout. There’s no ‘magical’ transformation.
As a high-spirited 26-year-old, Lucy dreams of opening her own art gallery in New York. She is a hoarder, though she dislikes being called one. She prefers to refer to the things she’s accumulated from her relationships over the years as her ‘collection’. After a bad break-up, she meets Nick (Dacre Montgomery), whose dream is to convert an old YMCA into a boutique hotel. He gives her the idea of opening the titular Broken Hearts Gallery, where people can exhibit items they have collected from past relationships. The two become partners, with Nick offering her gallery space at his hotel, and Lucy lending a hand with the construction work at the hotel. A friendship develops; love follows, and so on.
One wishes that Krinsky had not cared to include several talking heads of people displaying their donations to the Broken Hearts Gallery. These short video clips—supposed to have been shot by Lucy for her gallery—are inserted throughout the film. Rather than enhance the narrative, they only break the flow. Just as unfortunate is the lack of real chemistry between the two leads. While Viswanathan is completely winsome, Montgomery comes off as quite tepid, in part due to his character not being particularly well-defined. The plot requires Lucy to be in the dark about his history, but surely, the film could have let us in a bit.
This is Viswanathan’s first major starring role, and she makes quite an impression. As a character, Lucy is a bit much sometimes, but the actor sells her effortlessly. As long as she’s on screen, the film remains engaging despite the clichés. Also, the rationale for Lucy’s hoarding habit is charming. This heartbreaking and believable reason is revealed in a lovely speech that Lucy gives at the end, a speech that is interrupted by Nick bursting in with a ‘grand gesture’ leading up to the classic romcom ending. The scene illustrates both the strength and the weakness of the film.
The Broken Hearts Gallery is a potentially lovely coming-of-age story trapped in the confines of a romcom. It is still well worth a watch.