Love Sarah is billed as a comedy/romance/drama, but the reality is that it's more of drama with little comedy and a bit of romance thrown in for good measure.
And actually, that particular blend of genres works very well for a story that starts of quite tragically.
But before we get into the plot and whether it is worth watching, what is Love Sarah all about?
What Is Love Sarah About?
It's the day that Sarah and her best friend Isabella (Shelley Conn) are due to take the keys to their new space that will become the fulfilment of a lifelong dream – own a bakery.
Unfortunately, Sarah is then killed in an accident, leaving the lives of those who loved her most, absolutely shattered.
There's her best friend, who cannot get out of the building lease and who is drowning in debt. There's her mother, Mimi (Celia Imrie), from whom she was a little estranged and lastly, her daughter Clarissa (Shannon Tarbet), an aspiring dancer who cannot move past her grief.
Then Clarissa decides that the three of them can still make her mother's dream of opening a bakery come true and do it themselves.
To make it a success, they need two things – a great baker and customers. Enter Rupert Penry Jones (Whitechapel) as college friend Mathew, a two-star Michelin chef who may or may not be Clarrisa's father.
Getting customers is a trickier obstacle to tackle. Bakeries in charming Notting Hill have a lot of competition, and Love Sarah (the name of the bakery) is no different.
Then Mimi hits on an idea. What if they specialised in niche international bakes? After all, London is a diverse melting pot of cultures, and people love a taste of home.
So can the three generations of friends and family overcome grief and make Love Sarah work? Can Clarissa fulfill her late mother's dream? Find out in this sweet movie.
Love Sarah Official Trailer
Is Love Sarah Worth Watching?
If you're expecting a sweet and overly saccharine movie Hallmark-style movie about a young woman who owns a bakery then you're a little out of luck.
The opening half-hour is really tragic, and because this is a British film, the grief is real, particularly from Celia Imrie, whose attempts to just get through each day are heartbreaking.
Even then, once the bakery gets underway, there are all of the usual start-up problems and the crowds don't exactly flock to the little bakery in Notting Hill.
Director Eliza Schroeder has done a solid job of turning tragedy into joy in Love Sarah and while it's a nice movie to watch, it's not one that will set the world on fire.
It's a story, a good one but a film plotted around a young woman and her need to make her mother's dream come through can only go so far.
Sure, there's the budding romance between Mathew and Isabella and even between Mimi and Felix (Bill Paterson).
But other than that, Love Sarah is a straightforward flick about overcoming grief and moving on with life.
Is Love Sarah On Netflix?
That depends on where you live. Love Sarah is on Netflix in the United Kingdom but on Hulu in the United States.
In Canada you can stream it on Hoopla, and in Australia, you can rent it on Amazon or Apple TV+.
In most other countries, you will need to rent it on Apple TV+ as it is not widely available on Netflix.
Love Sarah Movie Cast
Celia Imrie as the eccentric estranged Grandmother Mimi, who agrees to finance the bakery.
Shelley Conn as best friend Isabella
Shannon Tarbet as Clarissa, Sarah's daughter
Rupert Penry Jones as Mathew, Sarah and Isabella's old friend
Bill Paterson as Felix, a shop owner who befriends Mimi.
And Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown as Sarah.
