THE PREMISE:

"Heather's European adventure takes a turn when she meets Jack-sparking an unexpected emotional journey neither of them saw coming." 

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

The Map That Leads to You feels familiar in a lot of ways, a budding romance mixed with a critical secret that could upend everything. It’s an occasionally sweet, occasionally romantic, and occasionally heartbreaking European adventure. 

Madelyn Cline plays Heather, a woman about to start a new job working for a high profile bank and decides to take time off with her two best friends to explore Europe. She’s the kind of person with an in-depth checklist that must be marked complete and on time before moving to the next objective. That is until her plans are turned upside down when she meets KJ Apa’s Jack on the train. 

Jack makes an unusual first impression, climbing on top of the suitcase storage and lying down for a nap. He doesn’t quite get the nap he was looking for and strikes a conversation with Heather - who reluctantly joins the chat. Heather is on this trip for the sights, while one of her friends is there for the food and the other for the causal sex. The relationship between friends feels authentic and genuine, especially near the close of the film. 

But after a nice night taking some risks on the town, Heather and Jack discover they may actually have a connection after running from the local police. Then their trip comes crashing down when Heather’s one friend has been robbed blind in a drunken stupor. This is where their trip gets an unexpected extension…

Unfamiliar with Cline in her role in Outer Banks and not really remembering her role in Glass Onion, this year’s I Know What You Did Last Summer requel is the only indication in recent memory of how she performs. Having that in context, it was refreshing to see her open her both and her character not be a bizarrely written ditz (see IKWYDLS) and instead a smart, charming and explorative young woman who doesn’t like to wain from the beaten path that lies ahead. That is until Jack comes into her life. 

KJ Apa’s Jack is the complete opposite of Heather, full of fast bits, classy comebacks, a bit arrogant and ready for whatever the world offers without a plan in sight. That is apart from his grandfather’s journal that details his journey after WW2 across the world - in which Jack is trying to replicate and walk in his grandfather’s shoes in a sense.  

The couple find moments together that aren’t originally on Heather’s bingo card. From a club scene that is out of the traditional vacation playbook, to renting out a sailboat and enjoying the waves, to falling in love with a complete stranger. 

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Part of the way through the film, the audience discovers Jack’s wariness to take photos. This opens a can of worms for the audience to sort through. Is there a hidden past perhaps and scenic views to accompany their trip, as well as disguise an issue underneath it all? Is this another situation similar to My Oxford Year where the cause of the problem is far more severe? 

This is a sore spot as it is neglected with sudden hints at its existence. Love through tourism and the exploration of the past. There’s a moment where Heather and Jack have a surface level argument that felt far too modern to be satisfying about taking photos for social likes instead of living in the moment. I’m guilty of posting things on socials before breathing in the experience, so I understand the complaint and maybe that’s why it stung a little harder. Nonetheless I do internally believe that Jack’s beliefs on phones not being needed when experiencing a new place is a valid take. 

Based on the romance novel, J.P. Monninger and written by both director Leslie Bohem and co-writer Vera Herbert, the film feels like it is exactly what was on the page put to screen. Pacing wise, it seems like maybe we would’ve had more time to connect to our two leads but in reality they have only known one another for several weeks. The direction may play it safe but captures the scenic views when it desires too (notably the oceanscape the group sails into for an afternoon). There are moments of awkward questioning in terms of the style used in the film, such as a technique to crop the frame into a vertical rectangle (with no phone in sight a majority of the time) and film in this fashion like it was being filmed straight through the phone lens. This trick felt unnecessary and only distracted whenever it was utilized on screen. 

If you ever looked at a poster and went yep that’ll be sad - this potentially could be it. There is unfortunately a really obvious answer to what’s going on here and it’s sad in a different way. Full of realistic anxiety of being abandoned. It’s predictable, melodramatic, but the leads are what wins over the naysayers. While I do find the third act rushing to the finish line, especially after such a fantastic build up to that moment - the film doesn’t take its time to draw to a close and leave things a little too open ended for a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to this promising love story.