'A Fantastic Relationship' Review: A Fresh and Fun Spin on Post-Breakup Chaos
- Romey Norton
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Romey Norton - May 7, 2025
In the crowded room of indie rom-coms, A Fantastic Relationship carves out a clever niche with its sharp wit, lo-fi charm, and refreshingly awkward take on love, deception, and social niceties. Written, directed and starring Bridge Stuart, this breezy drama-comedy delivers an interesting premise: what happens when a couple pretends to stay together, just long enough to survive a dinner party?
Katie and Brian, a couple in the immediate wake of a breakup, decide to fake their relationship for one more night to impress Katie’s sister and friends at a dinner party. What follows is a drama-comedy that never really hits one genre completely. The story does have some laughs and tenderness that’ll keep you invested, but the dinner party we spend two thirds of the film waiting for is disappointing.
The script lets A Fantastic Relationship down at times, giving the lead Katie a way out of the dinner from the get-go doesn’t drive the conflict and pressure enough for the two to fake this relationship. Stakes needed to be higher. The storyline is predictable, and whilst it’s still entertaining, it could really have pushed the boat out with the ridiculousness. The film opts for some nice scenes and character building moments, but really you’re hanging on to get to this dinner, and once we’re there nothing much happens. Despite the decent acting, the conversations are weak, there’s a lack of comedy and it’s interrupted/tied up by a disgruntled friend coming in and giving a speech as if he were in a whodunnit.
However, stars Nikki McKenzie and Bridge Stuart bring surprising depth to their characters, infusing every passive-aggressive exchange and awkward touch with a complex blend of bitterness, nostalgia, and leftover affection. The two have great chemistry and are a joy to watch on screen. The supporting cast are committed and help drive the story along.
For an independent film, there’s some lovely use of locations, including a beach and multiple homes, and the sound is on point. What I enjoyed about the film is that it cleverly highlights just how absurd it can be to “perform” love under pressure and will make audiences think about what it means to be in a relationship and how you perceive love and life.
I was really hoping that the film was going to subvert rom-com norms and instead of chasing reconciliation or closure in the traditional sense, it would end with the two not getting back together and instead moving on separately. This sort of happens, the two apologise and agree to live together for the time being. So they’re friends, with the opinion of reconciliation on the table. It’s a sweet, wholesome ending.
Fans of character-driven indie films, awkward situational humour, and on the lookout for a fun, easy film will find A Fantastic Relationship both endearing and honest.
A Fantastic Relationship is available on digital platforms
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