If you've ever had a soft spot for David Duchovny or Minnie Driver and wished you could see them together in one of the most touching roles for either of them, I've got the movie for you. And you don't even have to pay for a subscription streaming service to see it.
"Return to Me" takes a premise that could easily collapse into some silly melodrama and makes it a memorable tale. If you've ever found true love and lost it, or even if you're still looking for it, there's plenty to appreciate about this story of a couple who find each other right when they're supposed to, and through unconventional methods: a heart transplant.
The movie might look like a sappy turn-of-the-millennium tearjerker at first glance, but on screen, it's more like visual comfort food, all the way through. And right now, you can stream "Return to Me" free on the Roku Channel.
What's 'Return to Me' about?
"Return to Me" follows Bob Rueland (David Duchovny), a Chicago architect whose wife, Elizabeth (Joely Richardson), dies after a car accident. Her heart is donated to Grace Briggs (Minnie Driver), a young woman with serious heart disease.
A year later, Bob is dealing with his grief while finishing the zoo project his wife championed, and Grace is easing back into everyday life after receiving Elizabeth's heart while helping at her grandfather’s neighborhood restaurant. The pair meet by chance, feel an immediate pull, and begin dating without realizing how their lives are already linked.
As their relationship deepens, a thank-you letter Grace once wrote to the donor family she never knew ahead of time resurfaces and reveals the connection.
That forces both Bob and Grace to confront whether they're actually interested in or ready to build a future together, all while honoring Elizabeth's legacy. What follows may be some of the most hopeful filmmaking you've ever seen, and you'll walk away feeling like a changed, happier person if you let the message move your heart.
Why you should stream 'Return to Me' on the Roku Channel
If you're even a little curious about this movie, it's probably because you're a die-hard romance fan. And that's exactly who it was made for. More than that, though, it's a vehicle for several actors who you've probably watched and enjoyed in other projects, and you'll be seeing them in their elements here in many ways.
David Duchovny and Minnie Driver find chemistry in everyday Chicago spaces, like a family restaurant and the zoo, as they enter an uneasy romance before they ever even realize who Minnie's character is to David. It's such a perfect instance of fate that it probably wouldn't happen in real life, but in a movie, it's all fair game.
"Return to Me" does a good job of balancing both grief and hope without leaning too hard into silliness.. Plus, it shows two people learning how to live again, which is a difficult thing to express in some of today's modern movies.
It's a lean rom-com that's nothing but feel-good fluff in some ways, but you need that in your life when things get too hard. And at the very least, you should see Duchovny in roles that aren't "The X-Files" or "Californication".
Watch "Return to Me" free on the Roku Channel"
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