20 2010  The Romantics Review  9:31am EDT  Unrequited love has
often made for fine films. The lustful longing for an
unobtainable romance creates tension and drama that often
translate brilliantly on screen but can leave an audience
feeling hollow and unfulfilled. In Galt Niederhoffer’s The
Romantics the questionable conclusion of the narrative might not
satisfy your need for a definitive finale but then again the
film doesn’t give you much to be satisfied with in the first
place.  I say this because although there is a youthful energy
to the film (mostly due to its peppy soundtrack and popular
cast) and enough sexual innuendo to keep you from falling asleep
there’s nothing particularly enjoyable about the characters (or
their actions for that matter) that navigate the rather austere
story which mostly takes place over the course of one night the
eve of Tom (Josh Duhamel) and Lila’s (Anna Paquin) wedding. The
pair is far from the perfect couple: she’s a bit neurotic and
dependent on everyone in her life while