Five Blind Dates Review – Came for RomCom, Stayed for Tea
Lia runs an artisanal tea shop which attracts close to no customers, and she may have to close it down. However, when an astrologer suggests that her business fate is linked to her love life and predicts she will meet her soulmate within the next five dates, the asocial Lia decides to try blind dates in hopes of saving her tea shop.
Directed by Shawn Seet, the 2024 romantic-comedy “Five Blind Dates” is written by Nathan Ramos-Park and Shuang Hu, the latter also playing the primary protagonist, Lia. As soon as the introductory sequence of the film starts, one can already tell who Lia would most likely end up with. “Ugh, if she ends up with him, this is going to be such a bummer,” I thought to myself. Unfortunately, I was proven right. Why have a fun plot about a woman going on a bunch of exciting dates if she is going to settle for the most obvious choice? Anyway…
Shuang Hu is kind of likable as the frumpy Lia, whose entire family is keen on setting her up on blind dates. And there is a lot more pressure on Lia to find someone because her sister Alice is getting married, while nothing is working out in Lia’s life. So the first date she goes on is courtesy of her dad, who finds a wealthy playboy called Apollo (Desmond Chiam), who is looking for a very specific kind of deal out of the date. The next date is mom’s choice, the third is picked by her sweet, jittery sister Alice (Tiffany Wong). And the last two dates don’t even count. Not really. Throughout her entire dating ordeal, Lia’s best friend Mason (Ilai Swindells) is always present as a cheerleader, and their friendship is cute.
Since the story is set in Australia, the cinematography has a pleasant beach-summer romance vibe throughout most of the runtime. With a 1 hour and 23-minute duration, “Five Blind Dates” is crisp, but there isn’t enough time to establish significant chemistry with any of her five different dates, so everything feels slightly rushed and chaotic.
The one thing I liked most about “Five Blind Dates” is Lia’s passion for brewing the perfect cup of traditional Chinese tea. The rest of the story follows a formulaic path – Lia goes on a few crazy dates, fights with her family, and finally settles for the guy one could guess from the minute the film started. So the climax is obviously predictable and Lia gets her ‘happy ending’.
You can stream “Five Blind Dates” on Prime Video.
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