Movie Review: 'Float'

Float (2024)

Directed by Sherren Lee

Written by Jesse LeVercombe, Sherren Lee, Kate Marchant

Starring Andrea Bang, Robbie Amell, Sarah Desjardins, Michelle Krusiec

Release Date February 9th, 2024

Published February 8th, 2024

Float stars Andrea Bang as Waverly, a woman sort of drifting through life. She has a plan, she's supposed to go and live in Toronto and work at an internship on her way to becoming a doctor. But, in a moment of panic at seeing her future laid out before her, as dictated by her mother, even all the way from China, Waverly panics. Instead of going to Toronto to begin the rest of her life, Waverly travels to Washington state where her Aunt Rachel (Michelle Krusiec) welcomes her.

Aunt Rachel has carved out a small, cozy, niche as an artist in a seaside tourist town. She gets by painting murals and living her artists dream life. She's estranged from her older sister which makes her a nearly perfect port in the storm for Waverly who is eager to get a respite from her mother's plan for her life. While staying with Rachel, Waverly will meet and fall in love with Rachel's neighbor, Blake (Robbie Amell), and that's basically what happens.

Float, as co-written and directed by Sherren Lee does not exist to reinvent the wheel. This is a bog standard romantic melodrama, a step above a Lifetime movie thanks to the budget and the skill of those involved in making it. The acting is solid and appealing, the romantic chemistry of Bang and Amell is palpable and sexy, and the movie rides that sexy quality to a lovely mild conclusion.

I am ]damning Float with faint praise and I don't mean to. I like this movie. It's not a stick to your ribs, talk to your friends about it kind of movie. But, it is a fine way to pass 90 minutes. It's breezy with a good heart, a mild sense of humor and a lovely humanity to it. I especially enjoyed how Waverly is welcomed into this mildly bohemian community in Rachel's lovely seaside town.

I liked that she became friends with the owners of the local bar, became a bartender, and considered throwing away everything away for the simple life of slinging drinks and hanging with friends. It's great to dream of a life on the lower end of the economic ladder where you have just enough and what you don't have, your friends will provide just for the sake of being your friend.

That's really lovely and Float does well to mine that lovely quality. I also enjoyed how the film uses learning to swim as a subtle metaphor for learning to live your life. Learning simply how to float becomes a symbol for independence for Waverly and learning to actually swim and feel comfortable in the water is a charming metaphor for finding yourself and your place in the world. Sink or swim is a scary challenge but learning to swim is a fun kind of scary because it's a goal, it's a destination, it's a purpose and who doesn't need a little help finding their purpose.

Float arrives in theaters and streaming on-demand on Friday, February 9th, 2024.

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