Rye Lane Movie Review: Peckham hosts Rom-Com of the Year

He’s Dom, an imaginative but turtle-shy accountant who—when we first meet him—is sobbing in a public loo. Thanks to a chat with energetic stranger Yas (an amazing Vivian Oparah), we found out that Dom pines for his old girlfriend who cheated on him with his best friend.

Dom and Yas (who has her own problems with an ex) end up spending the rest of the day together, discussing everything from the joys of cheap nuggets to the horror of FaceTime chatting with your loved one and suddenly realizing she’s cheating. The couple is addicted to the past. But could these fools get a taste for the occasion?

Although Rye Lane was made with Disney funds, the mood is more indie film/Channel 4 sitcom than slick blockbuster – with a bit of screwball comedy.

Dom definitely owes something to Cary Grant’s character in Bringing Up Baby. Wannabe costume designer Yas is a law in her own right. This woman is a fan of flamboyant, quirky, and super comfy clothes (she doesn’t have a vice with tiny little straps). Neither “adorable,” “lively” nor “klutty,” she is prone to lying, uses the “c” word, and can be mean. In other words, she’s a mix of good and bad traits, in other words, she’s human.

While Peckham isn’t synonymous with great beauty for everyone, first-time director Raine Allen Miller (whose Jamaican grandma introduced her to the delights of south London) manages to make it look stunning.

The film is full of aquarium bright colors. That, along with quirky camera angles, multiple flashbacks, and standout musical sequences (a man in love eloquently impersonating Sign Your Name; Dom and Yas, at a karaoke night performing Salt-N-Pepa’s Shoop), ensures that Rye Lane doesn’t become static, wordy or monotonous.

Richard Curtis has been the king of British comedy for decades. Rye Lane hints that change is in the air with a clever cameo. Yes! Allen Miller has arrived. Let their reign begin.

In the cinema

82 minutes, certificate PG