| Rye Lane | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Raine Allen-Miller |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Olan Collardy |
| Edited by | Victoria Boydell |
| Music by | Kwes |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Searchlight Pictures[1][2] Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 82 minutes[3] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.5 million[4] |
Rye Lane is a 2023 Britishromantic comedy film directed byRaine Allen-Miller in herfeature directorial debut, from a screenplay byNathan Bryon and Tom Melia. Set in theSouth London areas ofPeckham andBrixton, the film is titled after the real-life Rye Lane Market.[5] It starsDavid Jonsson andVivian Oparah as two strangers who have a chance encounter, after having both been through recent breakups, and spend the day getting to know each other.
Rye Lane had its world premiere at theSundance Film Festival on 23 January 2023, and was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2023 byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film received critical acclaim, with praise for Jonsson's and Oparah's performances, the film's direction, style, and originality.
InSouth London, Yas encounters Dom crying in a gender-neutral toilet at an art exhibition about mouths organised by their mutual friend Nathan. They meet again in the exhibition, and walk through the Rye Lane Market together, bonding over Dom's experience with a failed relationship: Dom was recently cheated on by Gia, his girlfriend of six years, with his best friend Eric and has moved back in with his parents. Dom meets with Gia and Eric at a restaurant for the first time since the breakup; Yas impulsively joins them, posing as Dom's new lover. They pretend to have met while singing karaoke, and leave Gia bewildered.
Dom and Yas have lunch at a tortilla shop. Yas reveals she has recently broken up with her boyfriend Jules, citing his propensity to not wave at tourists on boats as a red flag. When Yas recounts that she has forgotten her copy ofA Tribe Called Quest'sThe Low End Theory at Jules's flat, Dom proposes that they steal her record back. They visit Jules's mothers' house in order to retrieve a key to his flat, but when Dom is caught looking for the key in a panty drawer by Jules's mothers, he is kicked out. Outside, Yas admits she started hanging out with Dom at first because she felt sorry for him, but came to enjoy their time together and even turned down a job interview that afternoon.
After one of Jules's mothers lends hermoped to Yas, she and Dom go to Mona's karaoke bar for Jules's key. In exchange for the key, they must sing karaoke. They sing "Shoop" and Yas kisses Dom afterwards. Breaking into Jules's flat, Yas is furious that Jules's new girlfriend can leave hermenstrual cup out when he would not allow her to do so. Dom and Yas get caught by Jules and his girlfriend, and accidentally break Jules's art on their way out. Jules reveals that he was actually the one who broke up with Yas, and Dom is upset that she lied to him. The two fight and Yas throws away her record.
Months pass, with the two going on dates with other people and struggling to forget each other. Yas finally lands a job as a costume designer on a film set while Dom moves out of his parents' house. While attending Nathan's next art exhibition about anuses, Dom receives a phone call from Yas, who makes a grand romantic gesture by waving to Dom from a boat on theRiver Thames. He waves back at her through the window and runs to meet her. After waiting for the boat to land, the two embrace and passionately kiss.
Colin Firth makes an uncredited cameo appearance in the film as atortilla chef in a restaurant called Love Guac'tually, a reference toLove Actually.[6]
Principal photography was underway in London in April 2021, when it was revealed that Nathan Bryon had written his first feature film script with Tom Melia, under the working titleVibes & Stuff.[7] Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo of Turnover Films andDamian Jones of DJ Films produced the film, with assistance and funding fromBBC Film, theBritish Film Institute (BFI), andSearchlight Pictures.[1] It was also revealed in April 2021 thatVivian Oparah andDavid Jonsson would star in the film.[7]
Jones sentRaine Allen-Miller an invitation to direct the film as suggested by Eva Yates, a BBC Films executive producer who knew Allen-Miller through her 2018 short filmJerk. After boarding the project, Allen-Miller helped to develop the script with Bryon, Melia, and script editor and executive producer Sophie Meyer.[8] Other executive producers includeRose Garnett, Kristin Irving, Paul Grindey, and Charles Moore.[9]
The film was originally going to be set inCamden,North London, before Allen-Miller changed the locations to Brixton and Peckham.[10] Filming locations included the restaurant Coal Rooms, Rye Lane Market, the grocery store Nour Cash & Carry inBrixton Village, the chicken shopMorley's, the Italian restaurant Il Giardino,Brockwell Park, and Peckhamplex.[11]
Rye Lane had its world premiere at theSundance Film Festival on 23 January 2023.[12] Following its UK premiere at Peckhamplex in London on 8 March 2023,[13] the film was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 17 March byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.[14][15] On 31 March 2023, the film was released onHulu bySearchlight Pictures in the United States, onStar+ in Latin America and onDisney+ in countries including Canada and Australia.[2][16] It began streaming on Disney+ in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 3 May 2023.[17]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 98% of 138 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Good news, rom-com fans: Anyone looking for a smart, funny, and heartwarming new addition to the canon can find it waiting onRye Lane."[18]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[19]
Robert Daniels ofThe Playlist wrote, "Not sinceSpike Lee introduced the world toBed–Stuy, has a Black director so seamlessly embedded viewers into the verve and flavor of their neighborhood."[20] TheObserver criticMark Kermode described the film as a "hugely enjoyable romp that effortlessly combines the 'limited time' romcom format ofRichard Linklater'sBefore trilogy with the in-your-face visual cheekiness ofPeep Show".[21]
