Not to be confused with the popular travel site and book line, Susannah Grant's "Lonely Planet" is only marginally about the destination and more about the people who find themselves at a crossroads in an unnamed part of Morocco. At a loosely structured retreat, established writer Katherine (Laura Dern) tries to rekindle her literary spark after fruitless fits and starts. She's putting off the fallout of her failed long-term relationship in the hopes of finally making some progress on her book. Meanwhile, the retreat also attracts a rising star on the lit scene: Lily Kemp (Diana Silvers), who brings along her non-writer boyfriend Owen (Liam Hemsworth) to the gathering. He watches as she comes alive in the company of other writers, how she basks in the glow of their compliments, and promptly forgets he's there for her. Instead of waiting around to feel included, he begins to venture off, finding companionship with Katherine, and maybe something more.
Grant's follow-up to her feature debut "Catch and Release" underwhelms in many respects. The central romance in the film barely registers on screen. Grant's script gives Dern little more to do than hit standard rom-com beats, and even then, she only half-heartedly fulfills them so that it looks like her character isn't really smitten with this guy. She can and has done better in other roles; even supporting ones like her brief appearance in "Marriage Story" prove she's got charisma enough to steal any scene if it's good enough. In comparison, Hemsworth is so woefully uncharismatic next to Dern; I couldn't see the appeal of why her character might be interested in a moody finance guy. A chiseled jawline is not a personality. Worse, Owen's ego gets in the way of tender moments like when he walks away from her at the resort when she jokingly calls him "kid" or when he sees her at a bar. I couldn't tell if he was interested in her from his stone-faced expressions. Plus, the subplot of Owen struggling with a deal for his hedge fund feels as thin as a linen shirt.
So, if the couple at the center of this romantic comedy lacks chemistry, can you at least enjoy the scenery or the retreat's resort? Unfortunately, this is not "The White Lotus." You can only enjoy the view through cursory glances. In the movie, Morocco is a backdrop that could have been easily swapped out for any other TikTok destination du jour. I'm not sure if it was director of photography Ben Smithard's vision to use out of focus or unsteady shots, but it was noticeable enough to distract this viewer. The story's location of Chefchaouen is barely mentioned in passing, and its beautiful blue buildings are marveled at only briefly before moving on. The resort's host Fatema Benzakour (Rachida Brakni) makes barely an impression on screen, which can be said of most other Moroccan characters. Lily's new Libyan writing buddy Rafih (Younès Boucif) disappears almost as soon as his role becomes more prominent in the story. In fact, just about all the other characters are reduced to some writer trope, most of them witty, mean, and promiscuous.
Written and directed by Susannah Grant, "Lonely Planet" did not assuage any feelings of loneliness–it might have even enhanced them. After all the Hollywood movies featuring older men hooking up with younger women, we can't enjoy an older woman developing feelings for a younger man without worrying about his fragile ego or watching her pursue him because he won't go after her. The movie gets some ingredients right for its retro romantic comedy vibe, but it lacks the fantasy that gets viewers to believe in an unlikely match: that magnetic attention when eyes meet and can't look away from each other or the longing stares and stray thoughts about what you would do if you could only get closer to that person.
"Careful, I could fall for a kid like you," Katherine purrs before accidentally wounding her love interest's feelings, but he has nothing to worry about. There's not enough chemistry to burn up the screen, or even warm it up.
