By Lily Kane ’20

These days, romantic comedy movies, also known as rom-coms, are some of the most common movies to hit theaters. “Home Again” is the newest addition to that genre. “Home Again” was released on Sep. 8. This new romantic comedy stars Reese Witherspoon and is directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer, daughter of Nancy Meyers, the famed director, producer and screenwriter.

Meyers directed “The Parent Trap” (1998), “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003), “The Holiday” (2006) and many other well known romantic comedies. She has spent her adult life making movies. It is no surprise that her daughter has followed in her footsteps.

Meyers-Shyer’s first movie, “Home Again,” is not the best movie to ever come to theaters, despite moments that feel reminiscent of her mother’s work. It incorporates the type of charm that her mother’s movies always have, yet it is lacking.

Watching this film, I couldn’t decide whether I loved it or hated it.  The plot is focused on Alice Kinney (played by Witherspoon), a single mom who just moved out to Los Angeles with her two daughters. She goes out on her birthday and meets three young men who happen to be struggling filmmakers. After a long night, she ends up inviting them to move into her guest house. Friendships form between the men and her daughters and Kinney is introduced to a love interest.  

The individuality about this movie in particular is the old-Hollywood glamour that is thrown in. As it turns out, Alice Kinney (Witherspoon) grew up in the shadow of her father, John Kinney, an Oscar-winning movie producer and director. This plot line has a striking resemblance to real life, with the writer of the movie growing up watching her mother create so many movies. For instance, when the family is shown watching J. Kinney’s old movies, or when one of the men finds all of the artifacts from the producer’s career and is in awe, it is remindful of the Hollywood movies filmed in the 1950’s and 1960’s. These small inclusions were the most enjoyable part for me because ever since I was little, I have been fond of watching classic films.

While the old-Hollywood additions were definitely recognized, this movie did not live up to my expectations. I had expected a great new rom-com, but the performance was unimpressive due to the boring plot line. The movie was extremely unrealistic, being that there was little conflict included. The main conflict in the movie was a love triangle between Kinney, her ex-husband, and one of the men. This type of plot is basic and common in many romance movies. Because of the close living quarters of Kinney and the men, there was an awkward environment between some characters, making the film less enjoyable to watch.

But, for being Meyers-Shyer’s very first movie, “Home Again” is a decent start.  While there are many aspects that could be improved upon, such as the plot and character development, the film itself is not terrible. I would only recommend this movie to people who enjoy romantic comedies, but overall, on a scale of one to 10, I would rate this movie as a 6.