The new movie 2 Hearts has a lot going for it. True stories, a great cast and an important message that needs to be shared. With all of that in mind, I really wanted to like this movie and I did for the first fifteen minutes or so. From there, it just got tedious. I can’t even share film’s message is without spoiling the mystery. Even so, you’ll figure out the mystery before it unfolds anyway.

This movie is actually two romantic movies in one. The first is about a young, Idealistic, hopeless romantic who falls in love with a girl in college. The second is about an older, idealistic, hopeless romantic who falls in love with a woman while taking a business trip. Though the stories take place during different years, the movie bounces back and forth from story to story until they actually come together in the end.

A good portion of the first half of the film is dedicated to Chris (Jacob Elordi), a freshman in college who falls head-over-heals for Sam (Tiera Skovbye). After a quick meeting and introduction, Chris manages to “show up” wherever Sam is. In real life, this would be creepy, but here, it’s cute. She is starting a special service at the school where volunteers can help get students back home safely if they’ve been out all night drinking. Of course, Chris is the first volunteer. And actually the only one. From there, it’s just one cute bit after another. They are actually quite likeable.

The other story deals with Jorge (Adan Canto – that guy from Designated Survivor), a Cuban exile who is rich. While on a flight for a business trip for this family’s liquor business, he is struck by Leslie (Radha Mitchell) a flight attendant. He has a fear of flying and talks her into holding his hand while the plane takes off. She never leaves his side. From this chance encounter, he too begins to reappear wherever Leslie’s plane is headed next. It’s nothing for him to spend extravengent money just to greet her at the gate when she arrives at her next destination.

The movie continues with these two stories weaving back and forth, but honestly, not much actually happens. We learn that both Chris and Jorge have some health issues and both men find that these women have become a distraction from their work. Other than that, there isn’t much of any real conflict to their stories. Everyone is so cheerful and doe-eyed. They all seem to have the same sense of humor and apparently there isn’t anything to argue about.

At first, this is enjoyable to watch but it gets old pretty quick. 2 Hearts tries to drum up some tension between both of the men and their respective fathers, but it isn’t much. Then, about two-third through the movie, the movie goes a completely different direction. I’m not sure if it was in the screenplay or if it was a creative decision by director Lance Hool, but either way, it’s definitely a misstep. While well-intentioned, it actually ruins the movie. At least it did for me. Fortunately, the message survives.

Though 2 Hearts is based on the lives of two very real couples, their stories are told in such a way that they don’t feel real even though the acting is quite good. It’s pleasant, but not realistic. Conflict does eventually come to these stories, but even then, it still doesn’t really ring true. There is so much more that the filmmakers could have done with these stories to make the movie more compelling. They actually had a lot to work with. Instead, the audience is treated to two sappy stories and not much else.