After premiering at last year’s London Film Festival, Love me till Monday finally makes its way to UK cinemas this week. Directed by TV veteran Justin Hardy, this likeable rom-com owes much to a compelling central performance by Georgia Maguire, in her feature film debut.
The film follows Maguire’s Becky, a gauche graduate looking after her younger brother whilst searching for love in a dead-end office job. Initially she is pining for hunky colleague HIM (Royce Pierreson) but when that doesn’t work out she ends up in a relationship with her boss Steve (Tim Plester), who will only date her on weekends.
Though there are some plot elements here that feel generic, Love me till Monday does an excellent job of capturing the reality of post-Uni life, from Becky having moved back in with her mother to the banality of office work. The repeating of certain plot threads emphasises the routine that life has become for Becky, though it also means that at times the film suffers from a lack of dramatic power. Nonetheless, some solid cinematography from Matt Wicks makes good use of the Reading setting, impressive when you consider that the film was made on such a shoestring budget.
With that said, Love me till Monday does feels slightly disjointed, almost emulating our protagonist in trying to figure itself out as it goes along. There is also a sense that little else on the agenda for our lead other than finding a man, with no friends outside the workplace ever mentioned. Additionally, a subplot on Becky’s penchant for love spells feels superfluous throughout.
The film’s biggest strength lies in its attractive ensemble cast, all of whom benefit from an improvised script which augments the pic’s loose, authentic feel. In this regard Sarah Jayne Butler does well to add some levity to the proceedings as wild Office Secretary Vicki, and Maguire shares some great chemistry with Plester’s Steve, who marries awkwardness and charm to good effect. Maguire herself becomes increasingly appealing as Becky blossoms into more of a relatable character. A breezy and well-performed rom-com, Love me till Monday is a decent, if non-essential watch.
