Our Happy Holiday

You never know how a Tinder date is going to turn out. You could meet the love of your life. You could meet the biggest creep of your life. You could end the night at dawn or you could ‘accidentally’ spill your first glass of red wine on your shirt and absolutely have to go home straight away to wash it. Or, according to Our Happy Holiday, your first Tinder date could end with an international vacation.

Our Happy Holiday is a bright and airy rom-com directed by budding filmmaker Patrick Cassir. The film follows Marion and Ben, two metropolitan singles in their mid-30’s who go on a Tinder date and hit it off, despite their comically contradictory personalities.

As their date ends at dawn, Ben and Marion ride the high of their instant connection, and whimsically agree to go on holiday together, just the two of them. Their friends and family are rightly dubious, with Marion’s best friend remarking, “a holiday tests a couple… what an odd way to begin.” To decide where to vacation, they map halfway between their two usual holiday destinations – Ben’s luxurious and upscale Biarritz and Marion’s hip and energetic Beirut – and land on Bulgaria, a choice as nonsensical and impulsive as their budding relationship.

They go, and of course drama ensues as Ben’s fussy and cosseted nature is constantly in disagreement with Marion’s free-spirited and lax approach to travel. As she marvels at the beauty of the local Bulgarian seashore, he grimaces at the dirty water and dubs it “Tetanus Beach”. She finds the local Airbnb charming and rustic, while he whines about the springy bed and wonders where the bathrobes are kept.

The bizarre situations the couple find themselves in throughout the trip are witty, vibrant and quirky, encompassing both the stresses and wonders of spontaneous travel. The beautifully shot and coloured landscapes of Bulgaria charmingly capture the inspiring feeling of discovering new and foreign places. However, in true rom-com form, the personalities of Ben and Marion are very one-dimensional, coming off as overly exaggerated caricatures and thus, unfortunately, the story plays out predictably. Ben’s constant whining over local street food and bathroom hygiene is tedious and flat (we all know that guy), and Marion’s relentlessly carefree vibe is annoying, like one of those naff live laugh love posters. With too much heavy-handed emphasis placed on the polarity between their personalities, no room was left for subtle character nuances and, in turn, relatability.

Though Our Happy Holiday was a clichéd and predictable rom-com, with the classic ‘opposites attract’ trope conquering the storyline, its modern framework gave it a refreshing edge. There was an emphasis on companionship, freedom, spontaneity and adventure, and the sense of autonomy and self-exploration that comes with being a part of the contemporary online dating world.

With a fun and relevant concept, but a fairly weak execution, this film is perfect for a Tinder date, because you can start making out halfway through and you won’t feel too bad about missing the ending.

Our Happy Holiday
Alliance Frančaise French Film Festival 2019
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