Lonely Planet review: Is it worth watching?

Lonely Planet, directed by Susannah Grant, is a romantic drama set against the picturesque backdrop of Morocco. The film was released on October 11, 2024, on Netflix.

The romantic drama stars Laura Dern as Katherine, a writer seeking inspiration, and Liam Hemsworth as Owen, a finance professional accompanying his author girlfriend.

Lonely Planet is a film with themes of self-discovery and connections that are surprising and not usually expected. But does Lonely Planet deliver a compelling story worth the while? In brief, while the film offers lovely scenery and a promising premise, there lies much room for improvement in its execution of missteps.

Disclaimer: The article is speculative and contains spoilers.

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Lonely Planet review: Netflix drama struggles to deliver

Stunning visuals, but lacking depth

The extraordinary visuals of Lonely Planet have made its visual aspect very impressive. The main Moroccan scenes are marvelous, giving the place a rich and beautiful view. On the other hand, it is interesting to see the cinematography of Lonely Planet to catch the soul of a place with aerial shots of deserts, markets, and coastal towns.

But the story does not explore the culture and environment, almost as a reason why the location is just a background and not much of a factor for the plot. That would make the audience want to see more substance and depth about the place. This is a missed opportunity to tell Morocco's rich cultural tapestry to amplify the story' authenticity.

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Characters and performances

Lonely Planet stars Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth, but their characters, by no stretch of the imagination, both the actors lacked chemistry and their performances weren't up to the expectation.

Katherine is portrayed as a writer with a block, who is being placed under creative arrest and inspired only in some far-off place. Her character arc is so predictable that it sinks into the void of emotional impact. Owen is shown as a good husband, though not quite the amount of screen time would do justice to this character.

Most of the time, scenes between the two leads are too predictable or lacks tension. The audience fail to maintain interest in the story of these two poorly scripted characters. The supporting characters would have added dimensions to the story, but they are not used enough so their appearance seems like fillers, rather than something the plot needs.

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Plot and pacing

The storyline is another aspect where the the film underperforms. There is a problem with pacing: some scenes stretch on for far too long while others make a seemingly hasty shoot-through without incident. There are no major twists or turns in the plot, making it pretty flat and boring overall.

The central romance is probably the raison d'être of this film, and though it would fail to take off at any point, audiences walk out disappointed with the missed potential. The screenplay isn't bold enough, the tried formula holds no surprise for the audience.

The dialogue, though poignant at times, also tends towards clichés far too often, which reduces the story's impact. The attempt to lace romance with self-discovery and cultural exploration is discombobulated since it does not fully commit to the genres.

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Viewers can catch Lonely Planet as it is available to stream on Netflix.