Tommy Drew

I'm writing this before deciding the stars, four or five. I'm also writing this after reading some of the reviews. And that's part of my problem. Why can't reviewers simply enjoy a movie for what it is and not what they believe it should be? As one who inspires to write, I totally got and enjoyed "The Photograph". But reading the critiques all I can think of is Rex Reed's masterpiece was "Victor Victorious". The emotion critics looked for was expertly understated and compensated with honesty from one lover usually living in self denial and the other who was trying not to wear his heart on his sleeve, this time. I know the feeling and the circumstance. It's not a contrivance. Attractive adults often flirt with each other when they meet. In their case there was no need nor inclination to beat around the bush, a consequence of modern dating techniques on his part and tactics on hers to feel each other out in five minutes or less. Also, their meeting is refreshing for both who as upwardly mobile black professionals get to let their hair down with each other in ways they choose not to do in their business lives. The flashbacks give context to why Mae is who she is. And their meeting is more than coincidence, the hook to all in the romance genre. So is the happy ending. It's predictable as was the reality of her birth. So was the wingman/woman hookup. That's my four. I wish the romantic genre was not always predictable or that whose your daddy has not become so cliche. In the end, however, I found it easy to follow, the acting superb, the story believable and perfect for my mood. It also made me nostalgic. Everyone involved gave it their best, so I give them my best.