As someone who loves a good tearjerker, director Lasse Hallström comes with serious street cred. Between What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, A Dog’s Purpose, Dear John, and many more, Hallström certainly knows how to manipulate an audience into full-on weep mode. Enter: The Map That Leads to You, Hallström’s newest romantic drama, starring heartthrob KJ Apa (Riverdale, I Still Believe) and verified diva Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks, I Know What You Did Last Summer). Based on the acclaimed novel by J.P. Monninger, this intimate road trip movie beautifully weaves its romance with coming-of-age/themes of finding oneself. Poignant and sweet, The Map That Leads to You urges viewers to live their lives to the fullest, funneled through the sizzling chemistry between Apa and Cline.
Headed off on a Eurotrip with her college besties Amy (Madison Thompson, Ozark, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies) and Connie (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The School for Good and Evil), Heather (Cline) has decided to make this her last hurrah before moving away to New York to start a banking job. On the train to Barcelona, she unexpectedly meets an eccentric cutie, Jack (Apa), destined to change her life forever. He jumps into the overhead luggage space above, flirting over Ernest Hemingway. Before parting ways for the first time, Amy hooks up with a foreigner that invites them all to a club later that night. Naturally, Jack shows up next with a friend in tow: Raef (Orlando Norman, Sebastian, Wreck), who develops a romance of his own with Connie. This leaves Jack and Heather alone, with the opportunity for more of a traditional meet-cute opportunity. He takes her off to a cable car—by the end of the night, they share a kiss, and bond over the journals of Jack’s great grandfather, who served in World War II. Jack has made it his mission to track down each of the places this relative visited around Europe in the aftermath of the war.
A few guesses at the impact Jack will leave on Heather’s life—if rom-coms are your cup of tea, chances are the direction we go next will probably be familiar. The journal gives the couple a roadmap of exciting destinations ahead of them, extending the stay to two weeks with a little nudge. Apa and Cline have great chemistry, an easy vibe between each other that feels entirely natural. With his toothy smile and wispy locks, Apa was a perfect fit to portray Jack, whilst Cline manages to bring a relatability to her portrayal of Heather. It would have been easy for Heather to come off as a straight-laced stereotype committed to keeping things in order and meticulously planned. Though that remains a part of her personality, Cline’s take on the material endears her to the audience. We root for her connection with Jack, mainly because it helps her to evolve into an even better, more confident and altogether happier version of herself.
Throw in some playful shower nudity, a tasteful PG-13 sex scene, gorgeous sightseeing across Europe, and a dash of conflict, and The Map That Leads to You spins an easy-watch romance that will have fans swooning. So what if it avoids deep character definition, or does not have much on its mind beyond the simple message of taking advantage of every second we have on earth. No one is looking for an Oscar-winner here, nor should they be. These types of movies have a tailor-made audience, and in the film’s final act especially, they will discover impactful emotionality awaiting them.
Despite a few qualms here and there, Lasse Hallström churns out another solid entry in his tearjerker roster, bolstered by filming on location in Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands. It absolutely always looks beautiful, and that extends past the eye candy of the cast and into the gorgeous locales. One may wish we spent a bit more time in each spot, with further emphasis on journal entries. There is very little excess, thanks to paring down the story to only the essentials between Jack and Heather. Fun and downright adorable, The Map That Leads to You may lead to a bevy of fresh fans for Apa and Cline.
Blindly follow The Map That Leads to You, unfolding on Prime Video on Wednesday, August 20th.
