Perfect Timing

Nicholls delivers an underwhelming will-they-won’t-they in his sophomore romance (after Love, Unscripted). Tom Delany and Jess Henson first notice each other across a crowded coffee shop, but Jess’s blind date sends Tom running before they can talk to each other. The next time they meet, Tom accidentally bowls Jess over, leaving her with a skinned knee. Despite this rocky start, the couple reconnect after a showcase in Edinburgh where Tom’s band plays and Jess does stand-up. They hit it off and share a magical night—but this too turns out to be a false start when Tom’s best friend mentions the long-distance girlfriend Tom invented as an excuse to visit his grandfather’s grave without telling his friends where he’s going. Before he can explain that he’s not really in a relationship, Jess storms off. But over the next few years, the pair continue to bump into each other, and their chemistry is reaffirmed—if only it weren’t always a case of wrong place, wrong time. There’s the frustrating feeling here that Jess and Tom’s problems could be easily resolved if they were allowed to have a real conversation. Meanwhile, Tom comes across as angry and pretentious, while Jess does most of the heavy lifting to make their relationship work. This is one to skip. (Sept.)