It's been said time and again, but rom-coms nowadays just don't hit the same as they used to. The days of You've Got Mail and Hitch are long gone, replaced instead by a steady stream of algorithm-driven releases that seem to materialise every month. But that's exactly what The White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood is trying to rectify in her writing debut, Film Club – a show that aims to fill the gap left by yesteryear hits like When Harry Met Sally and Notting Hill, and remind us what it's like to see "nerds fall in love" again.
Following her breakout success in Sex Education, Aimee Lou has turned her hand to writing, penning the six-part BBC romantic drama Film Club with her friend, House of the Dragon star Ralph Davis. Told in short, bingeable 30-minute episodes, the series follows Evie (played by Aimee Lou herself), who runs a Friday night film club with her best friend Noa while recovering from a "wobble" that's left her unable to leave the house for six months.
© BBC/Gaumont/Ben BlackallIn the first episode, we meet 28-year-old Evie, who every Friday retreats to her garage – expertly decorated to match the theme of that week's film – to watch a classic movie with Noa. Their latest pick? Ridley Scott’s 1979 cult classic, Alien. Sporting an impressive costume complete with a fake prosthetic bursting from his chest, Noa announces some news: he's been offered a new job in Bristol. Despite her obvious disappointment, Evie congratulates him – though viewers can sense her unease, which is echoed by her mum, Suz, who worries about how Noa's absence will affect her fragile daughter. As the curtains draw, the scene is set: will Evie ever find the courage to step past the front gate without her best friend?
The opening episode sets the tone perfectly: clever, funny and quietly hopeful. There's nothing too groundbreaking about Film Club – and that's exactly its charm. Throughout the series, we watch Evie slowly come out of her shell, gently coaxed by Nabhaan Rizwan's Noa and her teen neighbour Callum (played by Adolescence star Owen Cooper), who – like the audience – can't help but root for her.
© BBC/Gaumont/Ben BlackallFilm Club is pitched as a romantic drama – and in part, it is. Central to the plot is Evie and Noa's will-they-won't-they relationship, set against her seemingly harmless relationship with boyfriend Josh. And yet, like all good tales, it also charts the love story between two sisters and their mother. So who do you call when you need someone to play your mum? Suranne Jones, of course.
Without a doubt, Suranne steals every scene as Evie's endlessly loving single mum, Suz. It's a softer, warmer turn from the usually serious actress, whose hilarious overuse of "babes" and constant presence in the kitchen – always baking, always fussing – brings a sense of homely chaos that makes you want to call your own mum.
© BBC/Gaumont/Ben Blackall"Through all its humour and heart, Film Club delicately explores the aftershocks of anxiety and how love – in all its forms – can help us piece together the lost parts of ourselves. "
Through all its humour and heart, Film Club delicately explores the aftershocks of anxiety and how love – in all its forms – can help us piece together the lost parts of ourselves. Aimee Lou Wood wanted to make a show where "nerds fall in love," and that's exactly what she's done – while celebrating a shared passion for film and the quiet triumphs of everyday life.
If you liked The Breakfast Club, Such Brave Girls or Fleabag, then Film Club will be right up your street. It's got a hit of nostalgia and coming-of-age comedy from The Breakfast Club, the chaotic sister-mother dynamics from Such Brave Girls and the dry, witty humour of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag – all blended together into an original concoction that makes Film Club something special. Happily, the endearing storyline definitely leaves room for a season two – which would be apt given the series is a testimony to the importance of making it past the first hurdle.
Subscribe to our What to Watch newsletter to read HELLO!'s reviews early.
