Susan Whitaker is a no-nonsense civil litigator.
While most people spend their weekends hanging out with friends and having fun, Susan prefers to hunker down at the office, digging up details to win her next big case for underdog clients, pro bono. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for a personal life or lousy causes.
One day, Susan receives a bit of an odd request. Her latest prospective client, Nick Evans, wants to sue a popular, online dating website: Love, Guaranteed.
The website claims that it takes up to 1,000 dates to find true love. But it’s a lie. See, Nick is just shy of 1,000 dates and he still hasn’t found true love. Instead, he’s wasted $29.99 a month and countless dollars spent on breakfast, lunch and dinner dates with eccentric women.
So, he asks Susan to help him take down the big, bad corporate machine that cares more about raking in dollars than holding to its promise of a guaranteed connection.
Skeptical at best, Susan takes Nick’s offer. Mostly because he’s willing to pay and, well, free work doesn’t keep the lights on. And what starts as a wild attempt to disprove a faulty claim, turns into a surprising spark between straitlaced Susan and her date-experienced client.
Susan is an honest, kind, compassionate woman. As a civil litigator, she often takes on work pro bono, and she fights diligently for her needy clients. Susan is passionate and cares about the world around her, which she continually shows through her character.
Nick, for his part, is also kind, honest and compassionate. Nick takes care of those around him, is a gentleman and has upstanding character, even when others try to come against him. As a physical therapist, Nick donates his time to help those in need and works tirelessly to improve his work facility by building a children’s wing on the clinic.
Susan lives next door to her sister, brother-in-law and nephew. It’s clear that Susan and her family have a tight bond and are willing to do whatever it takes to take care of one another.
Ariana, the founder of Love, Guaranteed, desires to bring joy, love and hope to her clients. And although she cares a lot about her public image, there is a part of her that wants a happy ending in the future herself, as well as for future clients.
Jerome, Nick’s client, encourages Nick to take a risk and to pursue love, even if that means he might get hurt while doing so. Nick’s ex-fiancée apologizes to him and wishes him well.
Susan is an honest, kind, compassionate woman. As a civil litigator, she often takes on work pro bono, and she fights diligently for her needy clients. Susan is passionate and cares about the world around her, which she continually shows through her character.
Nick, for his part, is also kind, honest and compassionate. Nick takes care of those around him, is a gentleman and has upstanding character, even when others try to come against him. As a physical therapist, Nick donates his time to help those in need and works tirelessly to improve his work facility by building a children’s wing on the clinic.
=Susan lives next door to her sister, brother-in-law and nephew. It’s clear that Susan and her family have a tight bond and are willing to do whatever it takes to take care of one another.
Ariana, the founder of Love, Guaranteed, desires to bring joy, love and hope to her clients. And although she cares a lot about her public image, there is a part of her that wants a happy ending in the future herself, as well as for future clients.
Jerome, Nick’s client, encourages Nick to take a risk and to pursue love, even if that means he might get hurt while doing so. Nick’s ex-fiancée apologizes to him and wishes him well.
Roberto, Susan’s gay coworker often comments on how Nick is attractive, saying that he’d like to take him to his “chambers.” Someone describes an attractive man as being “lumber sexual.”
Nick opens up to Susan, telling her about an ex-fiancée who was unfaithful. Nick jokingly asks Susan if she’s “booty calling” him. Susan’s sister calls Nick a “hot client.”
A few women wear cleavage-baring tops and dresses. A woman sports a bralette and a skirt in a picture. An elderly man flirts with his nurse who Nick refers to as a “man-eater.” A woman tells a story about an affair that took place within her family. A woman makes an offhand comment about her breasts. End credits, in writing, mention “sexting.” A couple flirts, hugs and kisses.
Susan makes a comment to her young nephew as he’s roughly playing with toys that one day, she might see him “in court.” Roberto makes a joke about a dead goldfish.
A man exclaims, “Oh my god!” Other profanities and interjections include once utterance each of “d–mit,” “a–,” “crap” and “shut up.”
Susan’s coworkers talk and joke often about wanting to drink and having a desire to get drunk. Susan’s dating profile picture shows her drinking; later she talks about how she was “wasted.” A man makes a comment about taking an Ambien. Men and women alike consume wine, beer and hard liquor. A man stumbles around a restaurant while drunk.
Susan learns that online dating is hard. She is “ghosted,” lied to and ignored on multiple dates. Susan misjudges Nick’s character a few times, once guessing that he might be involved in illegal poker games.
Staff members at Love, Guaranteed can be rude and manipulative.
Netflix’s latest romantic comedy, Love, Guaranteed gives viewers a PG-rated, Hallmark-ish option to add to their viewing lists.
Centered on a predictable-but-sweet story, this film has a few things to offer: laughter, compassion and a few people who actually have great character and a genuine desire to help those who cannot help themselves.
But just because it holds a PG-rating, doesn’t mean there aren’t parental concerns to be had. Characters reference alcohol and getting drunk quite often, Susan’s gay coworker, along with some others, make inappropriate sexual comments. And some light language is heard a few times.
So, while we might learn that love is worth fighting for, we also learn that there are no family-friendly guarantees here.
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).
