This is my review for the 2023 movie “Beautiful Disaster”. Never before has there been a movie with such a fitting title. The story is bonkers, the acting is worse than mediocre and there’s really nothing new here. Yet, this was some of the most fun I’ve had in the cinema this year.
What is Beautiful Disaster (2023) about?
Beautiful Disaster is a rom-com at it’s core. Abby and Travis are two college students who turn from “enemies” to lovers, after meeting at a secret, underground fighting ring. During one of these fights, the two make a bet which ends with Abby having to spend the month living with Travis. Oh, and Abby is a child poker star who has retired and taken up a secret identity and her father owes some mobsters lots of money.
There’s a lot going on, and it’s clear that the movie can’t be bothered with sticking with a single plotline. It can feel disjointed and there were times where I found myself laughing at the absurdity of what I was watching. I fully believe, however, that I was laughing alongside the movie rather than at it. It knows what it is and embraces it.
Is Beautiful Disaster (2023) a good movie?
I would describe Beautiful Disaster as an adult-version of a Disney Channel original movie. Part of that may just be because it’s weird seeing Dylan Sprouse in this context. Part of that is that if you were to remove the sex (believe me, there’s a lot) – this would fit right in on the Disney Channel. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. This isn’t high art and it never feels like it’s trying to be, it’s just a goofy bit of fun.
The comedy lands. The audience at the cinema was a lot older than I expected and they were loving it. There were plenty of great moments and while I wouldn’t call this the peak of comedy; the aim of comedy is to give you a fun time. This movie gave me a fun time.
Is there a deeper message that this movie makes you contemplate as you leave? Not at all. I respect the fact that it didn’t feel like they were trying to do this, though. Sometimes, movies can just be fun and that’s okay.
Will there be a Beautiful Disaster 2?
Beautiful Disaster is based off of the Beautiful book series, by Jamie McGuire. There is plenty more source material available, so a sequel very well could be on the cards. Nothing has yet been confirmed, however. The movie has (at the time of writing) yet to release in the United States, so it’s impossible to analyse the success of this movie just yet. However, if it’s anything more than the most minor of successes – you have to imagine that Warner Brothers will gamble on a sequel.
Who should watch Beautiful Disaster?
The people who will like this movie know who they are. If you want a “so bad, it’s good” rom-com that flies so close to the sun that it almost becomes “good” – this is the perfect movie. If you’re “being fun” isn’t enough of a quality for a movie to have, for you, then I would advise skipping this one.
This was my review of the 2023 movie “Beautiful Disaster”. Did you find this to be a beautiful disaster or a disastrous attempt at beauty? Let me know in the comments below.