Sylvie’s Love Review: An Extraordinary Love Story Told with Classic Hollywood Flair
Writer and director Eugene Ashe has gifted us a classic love story for the ages this holiday season with the period drama Sylvie’s Love.
There is a lot to like about this film, and depending on your interests there might be something to absolutely love, too. Sylvie’s Love is for the romance die-hards, the classic movie buffs, the jazz enthusiasts, and the Tessa Thompson stans.
It’s best to go into it fresh and unsuspecting of all its loveliness to really have an extraordinary film-watching experience, so please beware of spoilers ahead and proceed accordingly.
At the start of the story, Sylvie and her father quibble over his persistence that he can get a broken fan in working order again. They both use the television Sylvie is watching for their side of the argument—he took one TV with a perfect picture but no sound and paired it with another TV that only had sound.
“You know what you call that?” he says. “Call that ingenuity.”
And that’s what this film has in spades—ingenuity.
Ashe has taken the elements that make a classic Hollywood movie a classic and a great jazz song great to compose an enchanting love story. It has all the allure of spellbinding romance and the excitement incited by that unique improvisational quality of the music around which the film is centered.
The stars align when the stars of the movie come together in a meet-cute sort of way. Tessa Thompson as the titular Sylvie charms struggling musician, Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha), right at the start in the charming location that is Sylvie’s father’s record shop.
Thompson and Asomugha have incredible chemistry, and we know from the very beginning and throughout the story that Sylvie and Robert are meant to be. It makes going through the ups and downs of their journey quite exhilarating—the highs are glorious and the obstacles they meet feel devastating.
One of those obstacles is cleverly foreshadowed when they get locked into the basement of the record store. Robert lights them each a cigarette while they wait for help to come.
Sylvie: Hey, you’ve got a French light.
Robert: What’s that?
Sylvie: A French light. It’s when you light a cigarette and it only lights up halfway. It’s supposed to mean you’re gonna fall in love.
Robert: Well, you have one, too. What’s that supposed to mean?
Later, the lovebirds are torn apart by Robert going to Paris with his band and Sylvie making the decision to stay behind. This is just one instance in a series of Hollywood-style unfortunate events that occur over the years which results in problems and misunderstandings between the two. It’s all very An Affair to Remember.
It is these kind of cinematically tragic moments that make this such a beautiful and compelling love story.
I need a good amount of drama for romance to really get me in the feels. Sylvie’s Love has that drama and couples it with witty writing and swoon-worthy dialogue. I’m either grinning like a fool or tearing up like a sap at any given moment throughout this film.
A first-rate supporting cast really rounds out the story. Lance Reddick as Sylvie’s father and Aja Naomi King as her cousin are understanding and supportive family members while Erica Gimple is chilly in the disapproving mother role.
An array of show business types add flash and fun. Jemima Kirke plays the band’s manager, and I get Rita Hayworth as Gilda vibes from her in this portrayal. Eva Longoria’s screen time is short but memorable, giving us a lively song and dance interlude.
Wendi McLendon-Covey is Lucy Wolper, the star of a cooking program—think Sue Ann Nivens from The Mary Tyler Moore Show—and brings some saucy humor.
Sylvie’s Love is the gift of heart and warmth all wrapped up with brilliant performances, great music, and topped with a shiny Golden Age of Hollywood bow. Treat yourself!
Stray Observations:
- Even the opening credits have a classic film feel.
- I love how much Sylvie loves TV—I can really relate!
- “When are your ears gonna get cold?”
- It’s a nice touch showing Sylvie reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, especially considering the subtle theme of stifling patriarchal gender norms that runs throughout the story.
- Along the same lines, it is refreshing to see Black women playing television producers, and in a period film, no less. See, Hollywood? It can be done.
- “See you later, alligator.”
What did you think of Sylvie’s Love? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Sylvie’s Love is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.