Chloe Grace Moretz stars in the romantic comedy 'Love Language,' marking her return to the genre after 12 years. The film, written and directed by Joey Power, premieres at the SXSW festival. It follows a woman who turns to writing wedding vows after being left at the altar.
Chloe Grace Moretz has stepped back into the romantic comedy genre with 'Love Language,' a film premiering at the SXSW festival on Monday in the narrative spotlight section. The project represents Moretz's first rom-com role since 2014's 'If I Stay.' In recent years, she has appeared in independent films such as Luca Guadagnino's 'Suspira' and 'Greta' opposite Isabelle Huppert, as well as the action film 'Shadow in the Cloud.'
'Love Language' centers on Lou, played by Moretz, who is dumped on her wedding day and works as a social media copywriter for a tortilla chip company. After writing exceptional wedding vows for her best friend, portrayed by Billie Lourd, Lou starts a side business creating vows for couples. Complications arise when a new client, played by Isabel May, hires her, revealing that the client's fiancé is Lou's college friend and longtime crush, Manny Jacinto. Another potential love interest, Dash, is played by Anthony Ramos, forming what the filmmakers describe as a love rectangle as characters navigate their desires.
Writer-director Joey Power developed the story during a period of 'existential writer dread' after two previous features. Inspired by his own framed wedding vows, he considered pivoting to writing them professionally if filmmaking stalled. Moretz praised the script for depicting Lou as 'not your perfect rom-com girl. She’s kind of fucked up. She’s got good intentions but she’s really misguided. And a little narcissistic. Just a little.'
Power drew from personal reflections on his twenties, noting, 'The mistakes I made in my twenties, a lot of them had to do with this belief that if something was going to be right it had to be hard. I had to sweat for it, and it created a chasm between the idea of what I wanted and what actually felt good.' He added that Moretz's character struggles to recognize what is right in front of her due to preconceived notions.
Moretz, a fan of 1980s and 1990s rom-coms, said, 'These kinds of movies are the ones I watch most as a viewer. Especially from the ’80s and ’90s. They’re so soothing, and hit you in a place in your heart. You feel seen and heard, you laugh a little and cry a little.' The film is for sale, represented by CAA. Meanwhile, Moretz is filming the action comedy 'Mister' in Spain alongside Walton Goggins.
