The Broken Hearts Gallery Movie Review

NOTE: Opening in theaters starting this Friday Sept. 11

“The Broken Hearts Gallery” is well-written and well-cast rom-com that can take a “Meet Cute” and spin it into a ride-share adventure. Using the backdrop of the New York City art scene, the main characters find a way to take the flotsam and jetsam of past relationships and create high-concept art. With a young and talented cast, this movie takes fresh look at relationships and — when they end badly — what can be done with the cast-off wreckage of past love.

Lucy (played with a lot of spirit by Geraldine Viswanathan) is a mid-twenties ball of energy who works at a very exclusive art gallery in downtown NYC. It is owned by creative powerhouse named Eva Woolf (played by Bernadette Peters). She is well known and well regarded. Her main assistant is Max (played by Utkarsh Ambudkar). Lucy and Max are deeply into a shallow relationship. That is until Lucy gets drunk at the gallery exhibit opening and makes a fool of her self. Lucy is out of a job and out of the life of Max.

She is heartbroken, which is her usual state. After every relationship, Lucy has kept (collected, stolen, hoarded, etc.) one or more items from that recent ex. She goes out for drinks with her roommates. Amanda (played by Molly Gordon) is a law student who quick to quote a fictions court decision to prove her point. Nadine (played by Phillipa Soo) is a cool player with a need to be in control. Both of them see that Lucy has too much baggage from the Parade of Failed Boyfriends. Lucy has an entire bookcase filled with ‘break-up knickknacks’ and ‘got dumped mementos’. Coming back home, Lucy waits for an Uber.

A car is parked nearby, and she decides to get in. But it is not her ride-share vehicle. It is a car owned by Nick (played by Dacre Montgomery). Lucy refuses to believe that he is not her ride, so he plays along. She is unsure why he drives her back home, when he is not really an Uber driver. Nick drops her off and that would be the end of it. But Lucy sees Nick within a couple of days, and he helps her out again. Nick is getting a major project off the ground, by creating a charming little hotel in the City. Lucy says that, since she is out of work, she will come back every day to help.

Nick’s project is the “Hotel Chloe”, which Lucy assumes is named after his grandmother. Lucy sees a chance to have a creative outlet by making a ‘pop-up gallery’ in the unfinished hotel. The “Broken Hearts Gallery” will be an emotional release of all of the past memories and mementos of many failed/ended relationships. Lucy has plenty of material to start the gallery, but she needs many more sad stories and uncommon items. Social media starts to drive the popularity of the ‘Gallery’ and soon she is bringing in more and more things each day.

With just a minor fee to donate an object and a story – pretty soon Lucy is making things happen for Nick. But he remains somewhat closed-off and stays distant, because he does not want to be a part of the “Broken Hearts” section in the gallery. Are there feelings in the air? Damn Right! Lucy calls herself the C.F.O – Chief Feelings Officer. Nick really starts to fall for Lucy. But he has a checkered past, and hotel namesake Chloe was not his grandmother. Max decides that he actually should be back into Lucy’s life, much to the chagrin of Nick.

Lucy’ feelings are a spinning, whirling ball in an emotional pinball machine. She wants the stability of Max, but she loves the creativity of Nick. Nick is more of an emotional glacier, keeping almost frozen, but slowly melting under the constant presence of Lucy. Lucy’s roommates are more amused by the side bets that they make on Lucy’s love life. Will the Hotel get financing? Will Lucy become a valued Gallery curator? Will Nick come out from under his emotional rock?

“The Broken Hearts Gallery” will answer all of these questions, and it will do it in a pretty upbeat and humorous manner. With some clever writing, and great chemistry from the cast members, this debut movie from writer & director Natalie Krinsky is off to a fine start. At times, the movie will drift into a corny area, but most of the main dialog and acting is very enjoyable. Geraldine Viswanathan is a perfect pick for Lucy, giving her character a positive spin on an imperfect world. Dacre Montgomery is also very good as Nick, and he gives Nick’s repressed nature a chance to find new freedom.

“The Broken Hearts Gallery” shows that one person’s junk is another ex-lover’s personal collection of ‘break-up knickknacks’…

NOTE: Opening in theaters starting this Friday Sept. 11