Der Gang ins Kino umfasst immer auch etwas magisches, denn der Gast lässt sich auf ein ungewisses Erlebnis ein, welches ihn bestenfalls in eine völlig andere Welt hineinzieht. Ob jedoch PRESS PLAY AND LOVE AGAIN geeignet ist, diese Erwartung zu erfüllen, wage ich ein wenig zu bezweifeln. Zwar kommt der Film mit einer Zeitreisegeschichte, die es in Kombination mit einer tragischen Romanze nicht allzu häufig gibt und dadurch einige nette Ansätze bietet, doch übertünchen Kitsch und Oberflächlichkeit die zusammengestückelten netten Elemente. Da selbst Superstar Danny Glover es nicht schafft, über eine völlige Austauschbarkeit seiner Person hinauszuwachsen, dann kann zurecht die Frage gestellt werden, ob der Film nicht im Heimkino deutlich besser aufgehoben wäre, als den bitteren Verzweiflungsversuch zu starten, einem größeren Publikum das Geld aus der Tasche zu ziehen.

Press Play and Love Again ©2022 Splendid Film

Press Play and Love Again ©2022 Splendid Film

Once a celebrated miracle of technology, the compact cassette, or simply cassette, has now mutated into the bedrock of audio technology and is hardly known to the younger generations. For almost 30 years, the handy plastic cases could be found in every household and enabled people on the one hand to enjoy their favourite songs everywhere by means of Walkmans and on the other hand even to make audio recordings themselves. It was therefore not uncommon for the latest hits to be recorded directly from the radio and for a world to collapse when the radio presenter spoke into the recording. Up to 90 minutes of playing time fit on each of the sides, which were given their functionality by magnetic tape technology. It was not until the end of the 1990s that the audio carriers were replaced by the more modern and powerful compact discs (CDs), whose importance itself is increasingly dwindling due to the ubiquitous presence of MP3 players such as smartphones.

It is the directorial debut of Greg Björkman, who previously only worked in the visual effects department of the global success DAS SCHICKSAL IST EIN MIESER VERRÄTER. With PRESS PLAY AND LOVE AGAIN he thus remains true to the genre of the tragic-romance and relies on a predominantly young, but by no means inexperienced cast. We recently enjoyed leading actress Clara Rugaard in the sci-fi thriller I AM MOTHER as the sole survivor and daughter of a robot. Co-star Lewis Pullman is also really turning up the heat in his career. After starring in films such as BATTLE OF THE SEXES and BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE, he has now managed to land a role in TOP GUN: MAVERICK. But Björkman was also able to recruit a towering senior for his team in Danny Glover, who has now been a popular figure in the film industry for more than four decades.

This is what it’s all about

When Laura is brought to the local music store by her best friend, she already suspects that the aim is not to shop for the latest album trends, but to set her up with the young and good-looking guy at the sales counter. Reluctant at first, she agrees and quickly takes a liking to Harrison, and it soon becomes apparent that she has indeed found the man of her dreams in him. But the pure happiness is not to last forever, because when Harrison falls victim to a tragic accident, Laura loses her footing and doesn’t know what to do. Her everyday life no longer seems to make sense. At some point, however, she plucks up the courage to listen again to the mixtape she recorded with Harrison. In an inexplicable way, this gives her another chance to see Harrison again.

Review

Only rarely do we get to see pure romances in the cinema these days. Mostly we are bombarded with miserable romcoms, all of which follow the same pattern and offer absolutely no seriousness (often). Admittedly, PRESS PLAY AND LOVE AGAIN doesn’t quite fit into the scheme of cinema romance either, because what we are served here is actually a classic direct-to-DVD film that doesn’t even get a theatrical release in its home country, the USA. For whatever reason, however, the distributor Splendid feels that people need a little schmaltz and cliché in these somewhat difficult times and is trying to draw a little attention to this production with a theatrical release.

Press Play and Love Again ©2022 Splendid Film

The basic idea of the film is not so bad and has the potential to be an acceptable and nice pastime. On the one hand, it is wonderful that the cassette medium is still appreciated today, and on the other hand, tragic romances are often a guarantee to reach and capture the hearts of the audience. Combining all of this with a time travel theme is a nice way to deviate a little from the familiar pattern, even though there are certainly isolated films like ABOUT TIME that have already taken this on. Another strong aspect is that the time travel is very limited and also only of short duration. But as is so often the case, the theme also has its pitfalls, which are only partially overcome here.

The Butterfly Effect

A major problem here is the butterfly effect, which is only taken into account as far as it suited the film team. For example, the time travels usually cover several years and are therefore likely to involve quite massive changes, which is also hinted at several times by reorientations of the best friend or shops that no longer exist, but at the same time seemingly have no effect on the protagonist herself, who always arrives at the same point in her own life. Nevertheless, the film does much better in this respect than many comparable works that simply leave out any developments and changes altogether, which is why the criticism of this factor does not carry too much weight.

Press Play and Love Again ©2022 Splendid Film

Unfortunately, it is somewhat worse that the film is not only dripping with schmaltziness and therefore makes the audience roll its eyes several times, but above all that the characters almost without exception remain empty and insignificant shells that do not radiate any deeper personality and are merely built up as a means to an end. At this point at the latest, the script seems as if it had once been sent through a script generator, which all by itself writes in the usual clichés and plots of a couple in love and therefore remains just as superficial as in any other work of the genre. Moreover, the twist seems so generic that it was already clearly recognisable before the actual plot. Not surprisingly, therefore, is the somewhat misshapen reputation that romances have come to carry with them due to their over-the-top kitsch, despite the fact that they were once such fantastic films.

Press Play and Love Again ©2022 Splendid Film

Simple-minded and toothless

While there are some nice songs and the pictures look largely worthy, making the technical part at least acceptable, it is mainly the stupidity of the protagonist that becomes annoying over time. Time and again she is offered sensible advice by Donald Glover’s character, who remains very pale apart from this one essential function, all of which is simply disregarded in a stone-cold manner and repeatedly leads to her blaming herself for things that would not have occurred if she had heeded the help. The learning curve of her remains rather flat and therefore repeatedly ensures that countless nonsensical acts detract from the enjoyment of the film, which ultimately wastes much of the actual potential.

Conclusion

PRESS PLAY AND LOVE AGAIN is thus not much more than a good home movie that glides along smoothly and brings with it a comforting feeling, but at the same time renounces any deeper logic and shimmies from superficiality to superficiality. The plot seems repetitive and doesn’t manage to break out of the same old pattern, even if there were some good approaches for a more innovative story development. For a nice evening at home on the sofa with your loved one, the film is certainly an alternative, but the money for a visit to the cinema can be safely invested in other works.