The Other Women

Review of “The Other Zoey”

Photo by Megan Nixon on Unsplash

Everyone loves a good romantic comedy especially when it has an extraordinary twist. On Oct. 20, 2023, Amazon Prime released “The Other Zoey,” a witty romantic comedy directed by Sara Zandieh. Drew Starkey who is best known for his role as Rafe in the Netflix Original “Outer Banks” plays Zach MacLaren, and Josephine Langford, best known for her role as Tessa Young in “After,” portrays Zoey Miller. The rom-com had an intriguing plot with lively characters and a fun romance storyline. The film picks up following Zoey Miller, a computer major at Queens College. Zoey does not believe in the traditional concept of love, so she designs an app hoping to find someone she is compatible with. Zach MacLaren is her complete opposite. He is their school's star soccer captain while she is an intelligent geek. When he comes into their school's bookstore where Zoey works, he leaves behind his credit card resulting in Zoey having to chase him down on his bike. As she catches up to Zach, he is accidentally hit by a moving car resulting in a concussion that causes him to lose his memory and mistake Zoey Miller for his girlfriend Zoey Wallace.

Many fans of the movie described it as interesting the way the director focuses on two completely different ideas of love: similarities and opposites. It is well structured in the way it centers around different perspectives of love while also conveying the messiness of each side. The film delivers both education and entertainment. There is an addition of scenes that elaborate on important relationship dynamics such as trust and loving each other's differences. The plot is your typically “unexpected” love story of opposites attached but with a twist of amnesia. It is the kind of movie that will make you feel good about your messy and complicated life.

However, the length of the movie could be improved. The movie is only an hour and 26 minutes long, and the storyline of Zoey and Zach getting to know each other is about 30 minutes of that time. It feels very rushed and a little confusing as to how they grew so close in such a short amount of time. It would have been fun to see more scenes of the two actors together enjoying life instead of a rushed happy ending. The movie is still quite enjoyable and sweet; it just could be even better with a little more screen time.

If you are looking for a feel-good romcom this is the perfect movie for you. “The Other Zoey” is filled with classic romance movie cliches. The cast consists of phenomenal actors who have undeniable chemistry. It is an airy lighthearted film destined to boost your mood despite its rushed feeling.

<Star Rating>

Plot: ★★★★★

Romance: ★★★★★

Movie length: ★★★★★