I’ve been a fan of Apple TV+ pretty much from its launch day. It’s a streaming service with a stronger batting average than most of its rivals, and I usually find myself impressed with its original content more often than not. Every so often, however, Apple releases a project that lands with a thud — and “All of You,” the streamer’s new (sort-of) sci-fi romantic drama, is unfortunately one of those titles. Even as I write this, I’m still not sure what I just watched, or what the movie was even trying to say.
Though the movie does seem to be a hit for Apple right out of the gate (it’s currently #3 on the streamer as of this writing) — and even though its two leads turn in performances that can be quite affecting at times — unfortunately, for me, “All of You” is held back by weak writing and haphazard editing that kept taking me out of the experience.
An unfortunate misfire from Apple Original Films
First, a quick look at what this new release is about. Per the official summary from Apple TV+, “Best friends since college, Simon (Emmy Award winner Brett Goldstein) and Laura (Imogen Poots) drift apart when she takes a test that finds her soulmate despite years of unspoken feelings between them. Over the years, as their paths cross and diverge, neither can deny the feeling that they’ve missed out on a life together.”
Essentially, “All of You” is a 90-minute, very unsatisfying will-they-or-won’t-they. Continues Apple: “Faced with the uncertainty of changing the course of their lives, are Simon and Laura willing to risk everything to experience the love that had been between them all along, or should they accept their fate? ‘All of You’ explores whether one person can ever be your everything in this humorous and heart-wrenching romantic drama.”
Basically, there’s a “soulmate” test in the movie that’s supposed to definitively match you with the person you’re meant to be with. Admittedly, this is the kind of high-concept gimmick that at least in theory could be a springboard for some clever storytelling. Why I called this movie a “sort of” sci-fi story, though, is because “All of You” spends maybe 10 percent of the story on that soulmate test. (Laura takes it and finds a man she marries. Simon, meanwhile, doesn’t believe in the test and is left to pine for Laura). The rest of the time? This movie is literally just the ping-pong of a couple’s affair. By the end, I’d completely forgotten about the soulmate test concept, which got ditched almost right away.
A story about love and soulmates
One of my biggest gripes is the editing; there will be times when you’ve just watched Laura and Simon have a conversation in one location, then the next thing you know, they’re in his car — a chunk of time has passed — and they’re talking obliquely about something being wrong, while you’re wondering if you inadvertently missed something. Or, they’ve just had a torrid encounter, and the next thing you know they’re acting weird again while you’re meant to work out that a period of time has passed. Honestly, “All of You” felt more like a collection of loosely connected scenes as opposed to something with a coherent storyline.
And speaking of the story, we’re shown practically nothing about Laura’s husband. The net effect, at least to a viewer like me, is that Laura’s protestations to Simon about how she can’t leave her husband because he’s so good to her come off as a bit hollow. Same with the fact that, after Laura’s father dies, she finds old letters he’s written to a lover he communicated with in secret throughout his marriage. Laura expresses amazement that he would do such a thing — specifically, that he’d choose stability over love — and then she proceeds to have precisely zero self-awareness in going out and doing the exact same thing.
Overall, “All of You” is an incoherent mess that wastes the considerable talents of its lead actors. What a shame.
