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Love Happens

Love Happens

Drama · Romance · 2009

Dr. Burke Ryan is a successful self-help author and motivational speaker with a secret. While he helps thousands of people cope with tragedy and personal loss, he secretly is unable to overcome the death of his late wife. It's not until Burke meets a fiercely independent florist named Eloise that he is forced to face his past and overcome his demons.

Movie details

Love Happens

“Sometimes when you least expect it...”

2009 Drama · Romance 1h 49m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.8 / 10

Community rating

Dr. Burke Ryan is a successful self-help author and motivational speaker with a secret. While he helps thousands of people cope with tragedy and personal loss, he secretly is unable to overcome the death of his late wife. It's not until Burke meets a fiercely independent florist named Eloise that he is forced to face his past and overcome his demons.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Love Happens?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Brandon Camp

Written by

Brandon Camp · Mike Thompson

Aaron Eckhart

Aaron Eckhart

Burke

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston

Eloise

Dan Fogler

Dan Fogler

Lane

John Carroll Lynch

John Carroll Lynch

Walter

Martin Sheen

Martin Sheen

Burke's Father-in-Law

Judy Greer

Judy Greer

Marty

Frances Conroy

Frances Conroy

Eloise's Mom

Court is in session

Put Love Happens on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.