Chris Gregory and Jorge Bolivar have a lot in common. They just don’t know it yet.
Chris is a 19-year-old, middle-class American jokester who believes life is only meant to be lived in the present.
Jorge is a classy, successful businessman who lives every day to the fullest, knowing that his underlying health conditions could make any day his last.
So what is it that they have in common exactly? Well, a passion for life, a drive to make every moment count, as well as the fact that each has a wonderful woman who sees the best in them.
You see, Chris and Jorge, although born in different decades, share a similar bond. But the most important similarity of all begins with two vital organs and ends with one beating heart.
After a tragic accident, a father realizes that what matters most in life is not lecturing your children or showing constant disapproval but expressing to your kids how much you love them. A young woman vows to spend the rest of her life helping others after her mother’s nearly fatal car accident.
Chris apologizes to his parents for goofing around at school and promises to get his grades up. Chris has a dream and believes afterward that he has more potential than he ever thought possible. Chris’ girlfriend, Sam, also reinforces the idea that he is full of potential.
Both Jorge and Chris learn the importance of family, sacrifice and hard work. Families celebrate life as their loved ones receive crucial bodily organs for a transplant. A woman mourns the fact that she and her husband are unable to have children, but they demonstrate their commitment to each other through their grief.
The opening of the film suggests that there is an overarching spiritual theme throughout all of life, that each person can choose to believe that life is either void of meaning or full of miracles. Similarly, someone says that there is always “more than meets the eye” in any given situation; it’s said that when we die, we are “everywhere.”
Chris’ mom encourages him to remember that “when things don’t work out, there is always a reason.” She also insists that life doesn’t happen to people but for people, no matter the outcome. Similarly, his father tells him to put his hand “in God’s hand” during an uncertain moment.
Sam tells Chris that she prayed “to the Big Guy” for her mother’s safety. An anxious wife prays (holding prayer beads) that her husband would live. A group of people hold a prayer vigil for their friend in critical condition. During a funeral, a priest says that the dead are at peace and are now “full of immortality.”
A young man jokingly asks his friends to pray for him and his smelly college roommate. A couple attends a prenatal birthing class where they practice a form of meditation.
Couples verbally allude to sex and “making babies.” One scene shows a man and woman in bed, clothes scattered on the floor, covered only by a sheet. Another shows a young married couple kissing in the kitchen as she takes off her husband’s shirt.
Couples kiss and make out, hold hands, flirt and go swimming together (where guys are obviously shirtless, and women wear bikinis). A group of college guys play a game of football while shirtless, wearing sagged jeans. While viewing an ultrasound, a young father jokes that his child’s umbilical cord is actually a penis.
A doctor performs a transplant, and a bloodied organ is removed. A young man is rushed to the hospital and placed on a ventilator. A college athlete collapses during a soccer game. A doctor informs anxious parents that their son has had an aneurism and will likely die. A family attends a funeral.
The f-word is heard once, as is the word “d–mit.” God’s name is misused three times, and the phrase “oh my lord” is used twice.
Jorge’s father disapproves of him marrying a white American woman, whom he labels a “gringa.”
A man tells his partner that his family is in the business of buying and selling rum. During a meeting, a group of businessmen smoke cigars and consume hard liquor. Characters drink wine.
Chris and Sam start a club to help safely transport intoxicated college students. One young woman repeatedly vomits after consuming too much alcohol.
Chris’ father and older brother harshly criticize some of his choices (though they also express that they love and cherish him).
We’re not promised tomorrow, so we should work to make the most of every moment. That’s the message Jorge Bolivar and Chris Gregory teach us here.
2 Hearts is a romantic drama that focuses on more than just romance. This movie tells its viewers that life is a gift meant to be cherished and lived to the fullest. It’s a sweet film that has plenty of teachable moments, especially for those who may need an extra push to mend a broken relationship or viewers who need to wake up to the importance of the present. You’re bound to shed a tear or two by the films end.
But mixed in with some positive messages are a few problematic moments, too. Some of the vague spiritual content here is questionable, namely the suggestion that when we die we are somehow omnipresent. The story also presents the idea that life happens for people and not to people. While this is meant as a consoling cliché, it also feels void of real meaning or explanation. And there’s a bit of sexual content and unsavory language to be found, like a uselessly gratuitous f-word.
These minor missteps mar 2 Hearts’ otherwise heartfelt themes about not taking even a single day for granted.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
