If you are alone on Valentine’s Day, you are lucky (the silver lining) because you still believe true love will happen unexpectedly. Or you would rather stay home and indulge in some Valentine’s Day movies. You refuse to settle or go out on a blind date because it is the “national day of love.” If you plan to binge on Netflix romance movies, I have one you should add to your list.
*Minor spoiler alert ahead: you will ugly cry*
Netflix’s series From Scratch is not what I expected because I did not watch the trailer or read about it online. I am happy I did not because it is one of the best romantic movies on Netflix; it is a beautiful story about love, family, and health.
This story starts with actress Zoe Saldaña, who plays Amy, and her trip to Italy to immerse herself in the art program. Amy finds romance with a local Sicilian chef, Lino, played by Eugenio Mastrandrea. They fall in love because Lino’s food is that good and he is very romantic.
Lino moved to Los Angeles with Amy, worked as a chef, and eventually met her family. Her family accepted him, but they were more worried about why his family was not accepting of her. Things got intense when they decided to marry in Italy; Amy and Lino agreed to go to Sicily as a last resort to get his family to attend their wedding. They met with Lino’s mom and sister, but his father was still absent.
A sudden aggressive cancer diagnosis in Lino’s knee took a toll on their marriage because he could not walk or work. He could no longer attend his chef duties at his new blossoming restaurant, which crushed Lino’s spirit. It was hard to watch because he is such a beautiful person. Lino enjoys feeding people because that is how he shows his love.
These two actors are believable as a couple who fought for their love and stayed together through sickness. This TV series is about a true story (From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke), which made the story much more special. It’s a reminder that true love has its romantic start, but loving each other through all the ups and downs is what sustains it. This movie is not always pretty or has a fairy tale ending, but it is a love story for everyone.
Brazzie Stars: 4.5
