‘This Time Next Year’ review: a familiar, frustrating tale of fated love
- Nicole Soroka
- Mar 2
- 4 min read
This marks Nick Moore's first time in the director's chair since 2014.
By: Nicole Soroka
Star Rating: 2/5
The clock is quickly racing towards midnight and the streets of London are packed as people eagerly wait to ring in the new year. Between the sounds of party poppers and tipsy laughter, it seems as though January 1st is fated for celebration. This is true for the exception of one individual, Minnie Cooper. For one seemingly unlucky woman, New Year’s Day, which also happens to be her birthday, is an annual reminder that she is destined for misfortune. Regardless, Minnie tries her best to reach her boyfriend before the clock strikes twelve. An unfortunate series of events causes Minnie to spend the beginning of her new year locked in a restaurant’s bathroom. Thankfully, her luck takes a turn when a tall, handsome stranger comes to her rescue in the early hours of the morning. But as fate would have it, maybe he is no stranger after all.
Adapted from Sophie Cousens’ novel of the same name, This Time Next Year stars Sophie Cookson and Lucien Laviscount. Director Nick Moore has an extensive background in the romantic comedy genre, working as an editor on classic titles including Notting Hill, Love Actually and Bridget Jones’s Baby. This Time Next Year was first released in the United Kingdom in June 2024.
The film follows Minnie (Cookson), the owner of a struggling pie bakery. Ever since she was born, Minnie has faced an unfortunate string of bad luck. On New Year’s Day 1990, Minnie and a baby boy, Quinn Hamilton (Laviscount), were born only minutes apart. The boy’s mother won the prize money for giving birth to the first baby of the year, later naming her son Quinn, a family name that represented luck that Minnie’s mother had previously told the women she had selected for her baby. A stranger now existed in the world with what was supposed to be Minnie’s name and surely, all of her luck too. Years later, Minnie and Quinn meet one fateful New Year’s Day. Though they’ve lived separate lives, it’s possible that the pair have shared a deep-rooted link since birth. Some things in life may be coincidental, but what’s destined for someone has a funny way of showing up when they least expect it.
This Time Next Year has its tender moments. Cookson and Laviscount share enough chemistry to help make this back-and-forth story believable. While it isn’t off the charts, their characters certainly feel a certain connection growing between them that becomes hard to deny.
Minnie and Quinn are the stereotypical will-they-won’t-they couple. Both of their characters make plenty of avoidable mistakes that cause disruptions to their budding romance. They each have a great deal of self reflection to go through in order to see each other’s world through a fresh perspective.
While Minnie believes Quinn’s life has been a breeze, thanks to his wealth and luck, Quinn struggles to see how he can let go of his responsibilities at home and discover a life of his own. Quinn’s backstory, and immediate care for Minnie, make him the more likeable of the two. He is desirable, has good intentions and works hard to better himself for their relationship. Minnie on the other hand is harder to root for as a character. She constantly feels down on her luck and comes across as someone who needs other people to hear about her misfortunes. She remains in a loveless relationship, works all hours of the day to ensure her company gets by and won’t welcome Quinn’s attempts to help her business thrive. As the film progresses, Minnie takes a more hands-on approach to turn her life around and become grateful for the love that already fills her life, which in turn makes her more bearable.
This movie is chock-full of romantic comedy cliches from start to finish. Whether it’s Minnie’s useless boyfriend Greg, Quinn’s devastating upbringing, or a race against the clock to take one last shot at love, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that you’ve already seen this story unfold hundreds of times. In fact, it’s the Sleepless in Seattle name drop that truly confirms this tale of fated love is one audiences are surely familiar with.
The film follows many romantic comedy rules, but is slightly longer in run time than it needs to be. There are pacing issues around the middle of the film where the personal obstacles standing in the way of Minnie and Quinn’s relationship become repetitive.
The supporting characters fail to add substantial depth to the film. Minnie and Quinn’s mothers, Connie and Tara, have an intriguing history, which eventually leads to friendship. The main character’s friends and colleagues tend to create more issues for the pair than anything else. Leila, Minnie’s best friend and co-worker, is the secondary character audiences learn the most about. She has Minnie’s back and proves that she might just be the biggest source of good fortune in her life.
This film is a by-the-book tale of what if’s, taking chances and destined love. This Time Next Year is available to watch on Video on Demand or digital platforms beginning March 7.
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