About Fate (2022) review

In late December, public defender Griffin (Thomas Mann) and real estate agent Margot (Emma Roberts) find themselves unlucky in love - he's unhappily engaged to social media influencer Clementine (Madelaine Petsch), her boyfriend Kip (Lewis Tan) recently broke up with her - but "destiny" brings them together when Griffin goes out drinking with his friends, gets shoved into a taxi and he's taken back to what he thinks is his apartment, but is actually Margot's (the addresses are pretty similar).  It's based on a Russian TV show from 1975 called The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!, so what you can expect is Soviet Kitsch altered for an American audience: the plot is an avalanche of coinkydinks as the Universe conspires to bring these two individuals no matter what ... and it doesn't hurt that Mann's character just so happens to be an attorney, granting him "prestige" (America loves to litigate).  Even though it's little more than a Hallmark Channel release, I think it's appropriate to give some credit to Ms. Roberts: she's alarmingly adept at playing hot messes ... and while her Aunt certainly had an influence on her, she's got an intensity about her that you can't teach.