A Simple Yet Endearing & Insightful Romance
Apr 22, 2023
A Tourist’s Guide to Love follows an ambitious, straight-laced woman who has recently exited a dead-end relationship, and takes a vacation that will have her discovering what it truly means to be adventurous and to be in love. A Tourist’s Guide To Love is precisely what one might expect, and there is nothing wrong with that. Audiences can collectively hem and haw about the lack of creativity or ingenuity in these cookie-cutter romances that Netflix keeps producing, but the results tend to be the same. If one is familiar with the recent Victoria Justice-led The Perfect Match, one will sense some familiarity within the story. If one has seen Love, Guaranteed, then Rachel Leigh Cook’s performance will feel consistent. However, Netflix has one thing over Hallmark: The streamer’s exuberant budgets and jet-setting productions. A Tourist’s Guide to Love is not remarkable, but its simplicity and familiarity are comfortable and, most importantly, entertaining.
Rachel Leigh Cook returns to the Netflix romance world with A Tourist’s Guide to Love. Here, she plays Amanda Reilly, an ambitious travel executive who decides to go undercover to scope out a potential new tourist company to buy after an awkward falling out with her longtime boyfriend. The unforeseen trip sends her to Vietnam just in time for the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration Tét. There she meets Sinh (Scott Ly), the tour guide who will change everything for Amanda. He is a free spirit who cares deeply for his country, family, and business. For a few blissful days, Amanda and Sinh will discover unconventional ways to be a tourist and experience life together.
Related: Rachael Leigh Cook On A Tourist’s Guide To Love & Potential Psych Return
Scott Ly and Rachel Leigh Cook in A Tourist’s Guide to Love
Steven Tsuchida helms this project after his last Netflix outing, Resort to Love. Tsuchida and cinematographer Jon Keng relish in the on-location shoot, bringing the audience to Vietnam and not some proxy for the vibrant nation. As Sinh espouses wisdom about how to experience touring another country, the audience is gifted with visuals that support his claims that Vietnam is so much more than what is often depicted in Hollywood. Screenwriter Eirene Donohue lays the foundation for a joyful, celebratory adventure through Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hội An, Hanoi and Hà Giang are beautifully captured on camera, with sweeping landscape shots and intimate on-the-ground shooting. Amanda is in good company, and the audience will be utterly enraptured by what Vietnam brings to the screen. Being in the country and experiencing the traditions and customs of the Vietnamese people is the crucial detail here, making A Tourist’s Guide to Love a must-watch for that reason alone.
While the script is a bit ham-fisted when portraying the core relationship, A Tourist’s Guide to Love ultimately succeeds at what it sets out to do — make the audience fall in love with Scott Ly. Similar to Netflix’s first gay romance, Single All the Way, where viewers were introduced to Philemon Chambers, this film is a star-making vehicle for Ly. The actor is dazzling and charismatic. Sinh is an exuberant character who cares deeply for his nation, its people, and everything in between. Ly plays him sincerely, evolving the character beyond a one-dimensional love interest. Ly’s chemistry with Cook is palpable, and the two portray Sinh and Amanda’s whirlwind romance very well. The build to their inevitable first kiss is utterly swoon-worthy, primarily due to Ly’s ability to convey Sinh’s deep admiration and attraction to Amanda. Ly’s delivery of “Kiss me” is just the cherry on top of an impressive performance.
A Tourist’s Guide to Love is predictable and sometimes too involved with presenting Vietnam as a desirable travel location. However, Amanda and Sinh’s connection and bond are shown clearly and early enough that the romance blooms quickly between them and feels right and justified. The actors have great chemistry and possess a certain quality that makes them likable. While the ensemble cast adds a layer of texture to the experience, they are underused; but they are a delight, offering more sweetness to an already delectable dessert.
A Tourist’s Guide to Love is an experience worth having. One can’t help but feel swept away. About her trip to Vietnam, Amanda experiences her happiness with the tour guided by Sinh, saying, “I felt like I was truly in the middle of it all, you know?” That question is directed at someone who wouldn’t understand, but the audience shares the same sentiment.
A Tourist’s Guide to Love is now available to stream on Netflix. The film is 94 minutes long and rated TV-PG.
Publisher: Source link
CBS Expands ‘Fire Country’ Universe With New Medical Spin-Off
CBS has spent the last few seasons turning Fire Country into more than just a single-hit procedural. With Sheriff Country already expanding that world and both shows set to remain part of the network's 2026-27 lineup, Edgewater is starting to…
Apr 20, 2026
‘The Phantom’ Live-Action TV Series in the Works
After nearly a century, a character widely considered to be the first ever costumed, crime-fighting superhero is all set to make a triumphant return to live-action. Beating the best-known superhero icon, Superman, by two years, The Phantom started out as…
Apr 19, 2026
‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Finale Says Goodbye to Dr. Samira Mohan
The Pitt Season 2 finale closed out the current run with a significant departure from Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. True to the show's style, the episode didn't treat the exit like an unexpected twist, but instead let the moment unfold…
Apr 18, 2026
‘Stranger Things’ Spin-Off Showrunner Explains Connection to Official Canon [Exclusive]
In the early days of Stranger Things, it was easy to keep up with the show's mythology, but as the show's popularity grew, the mythology created by the Duffer Brothers expanded to include comic books, novels, and stage plays. Now,…
Apr 17, 2026







