Finding You (film)

Finding You is a 2021 American coming-of-age romantic comedy written and directed by Brian Baugh, based on the 2011 young adult novel There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones. It stars Rose Reid, Jedidiah Goodacre and Katherine McNamara.
Aspiring violinist Finley and rising actor Beckett begin an unlikely romance, but when forces surrounding his stardom threaten to crush their dreams, she must decide what she will risk for love.
The film was released theatrically in the United States by Roadside Attractions on May 14, 2021.
After her unsuccessful audition for a prestigious NYC music school, Finley Sinclair follows in her late brother Alex's footsteps and goes on a student exchange program he once participated in, travelling to a coastal village in Ireland.
On the plane, Finley is surprised when a flight attendant offers her a vacant seat in business class. After falling asleep on the flight, to her surprise she is woken up by heartthrob movie star Beckett Rush, whose shoulder she had fallen asleep on. As the gossip magazine she was given upon boarding has his photo on it, and many within it, she recognises him. Beckett is shooting the latest installment of his medieval fantasy-adventure franchise. Undaunted, Finley insists she is not interested, calling him arrogant.
They part ways upon landing, Beckett immediately gets swamped with fans and Finley gets warmly greeted by her Irish host family, the Callaghans Nora and Sean. Emma is their teenaged daughter, also one of Beckett's megafans. Told they have recently inherited a B&B, in the morning Finley bumps into Beckett in the dining room, discovering he is staying there also.
The next day, Finley is at school, while Beckett is on set. His manager-father Montgomery reminds him to keep the director happy, as a multiple film deal is in the works. At the B&B, Nora gives Finley her late brother's notebook, full of writings and sketches. Intrigued by the last, unfinished sketch which was labeled with her name, she makes it her goal to hunt it down.
Beckett convinces Finley to help him run his lines, in turn he helps her find the location of the sketch and see the sights. In her extension course, she is tasked with completing a service contract, accompanying a local senior citizen for at least 20 hours. They then must write a paper on what they learn.
Cathleen Sweeney is the abrasive, unfriendly woman Finley is assigned. She is promptly run out by the woman. Told she has to make it work, Finley marches back to the home armed with a book and digs her heels in, insisting on reading to her. By the time she has finished for the day, Mrs. Sweeney has fallen asleep.
In town Finley meets drunken fiddler Seamus and pub owner Molly. Beckett catches up with her, taking her to see the Cliffs of Moher. He confesses he wishes he could live incognito. Later, Finley stops by set to run his lines and Becket's co-star and supposed love interest Taylor introduces herself. Beckett pops into the home where she is reading to Mrs. Sweeney, and charms her.
Beckett takes Finley to Molly's pub, where someone is sent to guard against paparazzi. Sean shows her to play the violin with joy, or as a fiddle. Finley plays joyously, and she and Beckett kiss. Back at the B&B, he suggests they keep it secret to protect her from the tabloids. His father regularly feeds false love-triangle propaganda to them, to Beckett's chagrin. A photo taken of Beckett and Finley at a local festival kissing is revealed to Taylor and his lodgings are leaked to the press. Montgomery tries to use emotional blackmail so he complies.
Meanwhile, although Finley offers to help Mrs. Sweeney repair things with her sister Fiona Doyle, especially upon hearing she has terminal cancer, she refuses. Going regardless, Finley has no luck convincing Fiona. However, on another visit she brings Beckett and they explain that Cathleen had offered herself to marry Mr. Sweeney to help pay off his gambling debt and save her young sister from his physical abuse. Yet, the older woman turns them away.
Finley intentionally misses her flight and audition to be at Cathleen's side, as she is on her death bed. Fiona shows just in time to make peace. Beckett finds the gravestone, and pins the location so she can find it. They meet up, and he tells Finley he will do one more movie, then plans to go to college in NYC. She is allowed to audition late, due to the circumstances with Cathleen, and aces it.
Once Finley and Beckett are both living in NYC they date, while she is in the music conservatory and he at college.
Filming was in Ireland, in and around Dublin, Clare, Offaly, Kildare, Cooley and Carlingford, County Louth; and also in New York City, Los Angeles and Nashville. In September 2020, it was announced that Roadside Attractions had acquired the film's US theatrical distribution rights from Red Sky Studios, Nook Lane Entertainment and MK1 Studios. The film's initial title, There You'll Find Me, was renamed to Finding You.
The film was released theatrically in the United States on May 14, 2021, by Roadside Attractions.
Finding You was projected to gross $532,000-$1 million in its opening weekend. It made $323,000 from 1,314 theaters on its first day, and $954,000 over its opening weekend.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of 38 reviews were positive, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Although Finding You manages to fit every contrivance possible into its story, its charming fluff and sharp humor may be enough to win the hearts of romance fans." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 41 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences surveyed by PostTrak gave the film a 71% positive score, with 46% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Giving the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, Michael O'Sullivan positively reviewed the film for the Washington Post, writing that although it contained "no real surprises... Finding You kinda, sorta [works]." Plugged In (publication) reviewer Paul Asay opined that while the story is "fairly predictable", it illustrated well "that sex and romance aren't synonymous; that kindness matters; and that even in moments of disappointment, God may be operating behind the scenes." Tara McNamara of Common Sense Media commented on the film's religious themes, writing that "the movie's faith-based elements has a mic-drop moment, but it happens without a single line of dialogue and isn't jarring or forced." McNamara gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, praising the well-assembled cast and the setting in the Irish countryside, noting that the film was more a coming-of-age story than a romance.
In a mixed review for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Ordoña praised many of the cast members but criticized the film's determination "to be PG-clean" and Finley's character, saying she lacked personality. Giving the film a grade of "C", Adam Graham of the Detroit News opined that the film was heavily clichéd and lacked anything of substance "except for the exquisite greenery of Ireland." Kate Erbland of Indie Wire gave it a "C−" grade, deriding it for its predictability, but noting that it contained "brief moments of magic". Erbland says "flashes of sweetness and smartness are stuck in between increasingly odd twists and tropes, eager to play up the "Notting Hill" of it all without actually doing the work to make it stick."