Love Sarah Parent Guide

Sarah (Candice Brown) and Isabella (Shelley Conn) are lifelong friends just embarking on their shared dream of opening a bakery in London. Sarah will be the chef and Isabella will run the business in a charming but decrepit space they have just rented in Notting Hill. When Sarah dies unexpectedly, Isabella believes that she has no choice but to sublet the property and return to the corporate world.

Sarah’s daughter, Clarissa (Shannon Tarbet), disagrees. The young dancer, now homeless after breaking up with her boyfriend, has just moved in with her grandmother, Mimi. Burdened with regrets over a prolonged estrangement from Sarah, Mimi agrees to help Clarissa and Isabella reboot their dreams of croissants, mousse, and macarons. But they’re going to need a baker and when Mathew (Rupert Penry-Jones) walks through the door, life gets complicated…

It’s particularly cruel to release Love Sarah in January. Watching one Instagram-worthy pastry after another is torture for anyone who’s trying to lose the excess weight they gained at Christmas or over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. But if you’re strong-willed or don’t need to slim down, gazing at mouthwatering treats and listening to plummy British accents as the plot gradually unfolds could provide a relaxing break.

I am a big fan of chick flicks and I can’t figure out why I didn’t love this film. It features lovely British settings, a harmless plot, and capable actors. Celia Imrie, in particular, stands out as the bereaved mother resolved to soldier on with a stiff upper lip. Like most British dramas, it also eschews treacly sentimentality – always a plus in a romantic film. It even celebrates the diversity of London as the bakers reach out to satisfy the tastes of their multi-ethnic customers. The movie does come with some negative content, primarily two dozen profanities, frequent alcohol consumption, and a scene where a main character smokes marijuana, but these moments don’t dominate the show. Its overall vibe is one of co-operation, kindness, and forgiveness.

As I have puzzled out the source of the film’s weakness, I recall the time I forgot to add a pinch of salt to a batch of muffins I was cooking. They smelled scrumptious and looked lovely but had absolutely no flavor. I think Love Sarah forgot to throw in a pinch of passion (by which I don’t mean steamy bedroom scenes). The movie looks fine, but it feels bland. The main characters all want to establish the bakery to honor Sarah but we never get the sense that they are fiercely devoted to baking. As anyone in the restaurant business will attest, you have to be obsessed with food in order to succeed. I’ve seen greater passion and dedication in the contestants on The Great British Baking Show than any of this movie’s characters – and that’s almost certainly why the movie falls flat.