The right song can take you back in time, to a moment in your memory and bring back the memories of both good and bad times. But what if that wasn’t just something that could happen in your memories? That the right song could actually transport you back in time? What would you do differently if you could?
This weekend, The Greatest Hits will take audiences on a music-led adventure through love, loss, and possibilities. Harriet (Lucy Boynton) is still grieving the loss of her boyfriend in a car accident they had two years earlier. But while she misses him, she’s also on a quest to go back in time to change what happened so she never loses him in the first place. While her boyfriend didn’t survive the crash, it left her with the ability to travel back in time when music triggers a memory of a moment they had together. And while she tries to find a balance in her life, she is trying to find just the right song and right moment to change the paths their lives take, so she can once again have the love of her life.
The Greatest Hits could easily have been just a fluff movie set up like a rom-com. Thankfully, it isn’t that. Yes, there are love stories throughout the story, but it focuses more on the loss and the sacrifices that can be made for the ones you love. It examines what could happen if paths change, or if you make a different choice. It’s gutting at times, and it doesn’t hold back the pain of loss and desperation to change circumstances that are out of your control. It’s the “what if I did this instead” come to the screen, and it’s a relatable feeling for everyone at one point in our lives or another.
The Greatest Hits was unexpected – and a pleasure because of that. Yes, there’s still the love story element, so if you’re looking for a romantic movie it still will check that box. But it doesn’t linger on the gushy romcom energy. It takes the tropes and gets rid of them while making the sacrifice needed for the ones you love. Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air when it comes to romantic movies and a bit gutting as well.
The Greatest Hits is streaming on Hulu on April 12th.
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About The Greatest Hits
Harriet (Lucy Boynton) finds art imitating life when she discovers certain songs can transport her back in time – literally. While she relives the past through romantic memories of her former boyfriend (David Corenswet), her time travelling collides with a burgeoning new love interest in the present (Justin H. Min). As she takes her journey through the hypnotic connection between music and memory, she wonders – even if she could change the past, should she?
Starring Lucy Boynton, David Corenswet, Justin H. Min, Retta, Jackson Kelly, and Robert Keane
Directed by Ned Benson