Float is a 2023 Canadian drama film, directed by Sherren Lee. The film stars Andrea Bang as Waverly, a young woman with a tense relationship with her parents who decides to spend the summer before starting university staying with her aunt in the coastal beach town of Tofino, where she is drawn into a romance with lifeguard Blake (Robbie Amell) when he gives her swimming lessons.[1]
| Float | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Sherren Lee |
| Written by | Jesse LaVercombe Sherren Lee |
| Based on | Float by Kate Marchant |
| Produced by | Robbie Amell Aaron Au Jeff Chan Jamie D. Greenberg Matthew Kariatsumari Aron Levitz Chris Paré Shawn Williamson |
| Starring | Andrea Bang Robbie Amell |
| Cinematography | Alfonso Chin |
| Edited by | Simone Smith |
| Music by | Dan Mangan Jesse Zubot |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Elevation Pictures Lionsgate |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The film was written by Lee and Jesse LaVercombe, as an adaptation of a Wattpad story by writer Kate Marchant.[2] The character of Waverly was not written as being of Asian ancestry in the original story, but Lee chose to write the film adaptation that way so that she could draw on some of her own cultural background.[1]
The film premiered at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival, and screened in the Canadian Narrative Competition at the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival.[3]
It went into commercial release on February 9, 2024.[4]
Cast edit
- Andrea Bang as Waverly Liu
- Robbie Amell as Blake Hamilton
- Michelle Krusiec as Rachel, Waverly's aunt
- Andrew Bachelor as Jesse, Lena's twin brother
- Rukiya Bernard as Lena
- Ghazal Azarbad as Van, Lena's wife
- Sarah Desjardins as Isabel Hamilton, Blake's sister
- Fiona Fu as Mrs. Liu, Waverly's mom
- Keong Sim as Mr. Liu, Waverly's dad
- Tristan Arthurs as Ethan, Isabel's friend
- Remy Marthaller as Little girl
- Mirella Gibeau as Kristen, the swimming teacher
- Haven Vivero as Little boy
Soundtrack edit
| No. | Title | Music | Performed by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Waste Your Time" | Dawn Pemberton | 2:58 | |
| 2. | "Sidecar" | Robyn Dell'Unto, Adam King | 3:24 | |
| 3. | "In Our Hearts, We Shine Together, All Good Vibes" | Rafy Levy | 5'41 | |
| 4. | "Come Back To Me (Fan Lai Ruan Shen Bian)" | Hua Juang Shang, Wang Wu Xiong | Performed by Jody Chiang | |
| 5. | "Broke Boi Anthem" | Kahdijah Payne | Performed by DijahSB | 3:54 |
| 6. | "Pump up The Jam" | Manuela Kamosi, Thomas De Quincey | Performed by Technotronic | 3:39 |
| 7. | "Lay Low" | Dan Mangan, Ryan Guldmond | 3:17 | |
| 8. | "Four Chords" | Dan Mangan, Andy Stochansky |
Reception edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[5]
Richard Crouse gave the film three stars and wrote, "It's fitting, that given the setting of the film, that Float is the equivalent of a summer beach read. Despite some clunky, earnest dialogue—'I want to stay here with you but I want to be a doctor,' sounds like a rejected line from a Hallmark movie—the movie does what it set out to do, put a new spin on a classic genre."[6]
References edit
- ^ a b Rebecca Sun, "Lionsgate Boards Robbie Amell’s Wattpad Romance ‘Float’". The Hollywood Reporter, October 1, 2021.
- ^ Liza Sardi, "Lionsgate boards Robbie Amell-led Float". Playback, October 4, 2021.
- ^ Aryn Toombs, "Calgary International Film Festival adds new competition to 2023". LiveWire Calgary, August 16, 2023.
- ^ Ralph Lucas, "Canadians in Movies, Coming Soon". Northern Stars, January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Float". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "FLOAT: 3 STARS. "the film equivalent of a summer beach read."". Richard Crouse. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
External links edit
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