Imagine Me & You tells the story of Rachel, a newlywed bride who begins to question her sexuality after meeting Luce, an out lesbian who does the floral arrangements for her wedding. As the two begin to develop a closer bond, Rachel finds herself falling for Luce while trying to figure out what this means for her as a woman. Though slightly dated, Imagine Me & You still holds up as a fun, comedic, and romantic rom-com that gives a voice to a community that is too often ignored.
Imagine Me & You is, overall, a pretty average movie. It holds a special place in my heart as it was the first lesbian flick I ever watched as a young girl questioning my sexual orientation, and I’ll always think highly of it for that. But really, everything about the movie is just okay—yet it still works. It’s a cheesy 2005 film that is entirely of its time, but that did something that few films before it had done. Though the plot isn’t a unique one—woman falls for someone else while promised to another—the movie is unique in the sense that it takes a classic rom-com story and makes it about two women.
The romance in Imagine Me & You still holds up—Rachel and Luce are gentle, and watching them fall in love feels genuine, with all the first touches and glances and moments of Rachel questioning what it all means. They stand out as the most intriguing aspect of the story, which bodes well for the film as everything is based on the connection between them. Actresses Piper Perabo and Lena Headey do a wonderful job at bringing life to these women and their romance, and everything about their story feels genuine. It is never tiring to watch, and every scene between them is viewed with baited breath, wondering if something will finally happen that will cause them to admit their feelings for one another.
The most disappointing characters in Imagine Me & You are the leading men. Heck, Rachel’s husband, isn’t necessarily a bad guy—the film never makes him out to be the villain, and he never spews any vitriolic hate towards Rachel and Luce that would make the audience hate him. But overall, he’s too average to even be likable. The film tries too hard to make him the nice, understanding guy, so hard that it erases any personality he might have entirely. He’s not hate-worthy, but he’s not lovable, either. The film would be stronger if it gave his character more life, even if that meant making him more detestable. As is, he feels like a wasted aspect of the film, and scenes with him in it drag the story down.
Heck’s friend, Cooper, is almost on the opposite side of the spectrum—he’s so unlikable that it’s hard to watch at points. Cooper is used as the comedic relief homophobic guy who thinks that he can turn Luce straight, and all of the efforts the film takes to make him funny fall flat. He’s unbearable to watch, and scenes with him in them feel as though they drag on. His character is overall pointless to the story, and doesn’t contribute anything meaningful to the film’s message.
Imagine Me & You, though it does have some glaring flaws, is enjoyable to watch, and even more so considering the time period in which it came out. LGBTQ stories were nearly unheard of, much less a rom-com between two women with a happy ending. It stands out as an important piece of lesbian cinema for that reason, and should be given credit for doing what it did in the time that it did it. It’s nothing amazing, but it’s the typical rom-com—the audience doesn’t go into it for the brilliant storytelling, but rather for the sweet and gentle tale of love that comes out of it. For anyone looking to be swept off their feet, Imagine Me & You is the perfect film to watch.
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