Freelancer and fellow film critic friend Ben Silverio and his Chicago-based podcast co-host Ansel Burch invited me back for my second stint as a month-long guest on Time 2 Party podcast. They specialize in time travel films. Last time in the fall of 2024, I went romantic with Somewhere in Time. This time around, I move it up the more present era with the vastly underseen 2022 Hawaii-set romantic drama Press Play starring Clara Rugaard, Lewis Pullman, and a stellar soundtrack!
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Press Play rightfully roots for our approachable lovers. She’s not a superficial stunner, he’s not an empty stud, and both actors are believably playing their ages, breaking a trend for the usual “summer of young love” subgenre. Clara Rugaard plays this woman, challenged by emotional loss, with a mature strength beyond what is too often the default setting of weepy helplessness. Not to be outmatched, Lewis Pullman balances her with an understated, yet effectual charisma.
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