My crush on Harry Connick Jr. started when I was in high school. He created the soundtrack to one of my favorite movies of all time, “When Harry Met Sally.” A year later, he made his film debut in “Memphis Belle,” and he’s been recording music and acting ever since.
I’ve loved following his career as both a musician and an actor, so I was interested to see him in the new Netflix film, “Find Me Falling,” by writer and director Stelana Kliris.
When John (Connick Jr.) finds that his latest album has had poor reception from both fans and critics, he decides to head to Cypress to try to escape. When he settles in, he realizes that his house is on a cliff that people regularly travel to to jump to their deaths. In trying to set up a fence to prevent this, he goes into town and meets Melina (Ali Fumiko Whitney), a young singer who promises to deliver groceries and other items to him. She invites him to hear her perform, and while he’s there, he runs into Sia (Agni Scott), who he had an affair with years before, and about whom he wrote his most popular song. The two must determine if their old flame can be rekindled.
This movie has a lot of potential for some truly interesting and lovely storylines, but it just squanders all of them on empty, tired tropes. Every time there felt like an opportunity for the story to do something unique with what was set up, it instead pivoted to something we have seen hundreds of times without even a compelling twist.
The performances are all fine. Connick Jr. does sing in this, which is always a treat, and he is a perfectly serviceable actor in a romantic leading role. Whitney also has a lovely voice and is showcased several times throughout the film in that way, but unfortunately, beyond that, there is little offered. There is little chemistry between Scott and Connick Jr. in their scenes, leaving the romance underwhelming.
The film has several instances where the topic of death comes up. Of course it is part of the story with the cliff that John lives on, but there is also an older character who complains that she can’t die, even though she has done everything that she wants to do. These could make for something thoughtful or inventive with the romantic element, but unfortunately, they are dealt with in the most trite ways. Suicide is not a joke, but it’s treated simply as an aside in this movie in a way that doesn’t work.
There are some aspects of “Find Me Falling” that work, but only on the most surface level. Sadly, this is primarily a movie that deals in a lot of missed opportunities. You can find me watching something else.
Alise Chaffins is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
