As much as I love a good rom-com, there’s nothing in a film that bugs me more than being cattle-prodded in a certain direction.

Whether by inordinately cheery music, cheesy one-liners or endlessly likeable, famous leads, romantic-comedies all end the same, and it’s hard to invest when we all know where things are going.

I can’t say Float is reinventing the wheel, but there was a quiet, assured way in which director Sherren Lee helms this one that made me feel in control. I was able to choose for myself to root for these two characters, and they had more depth than I could have ever expected.

It starts out routinely enough when a young woman nearly drowns, and the small-town lifeguard saves her. Waverly and Blake form a bond that may just be broken when the former’s career ambitions threaten to take her to Toronto.

Crumbling under the weight of expectation in her Asian family, Waverly feels immense pressure to become a doctor and do what her parents desire. Blake cares for his teenage sister consistently, as their parents died in an accident years prior. Both have their own personal obstacles, and they’ll need to overcome their struggles to find happiness together.

Robbie Amell and Andrea Bang are really great here, sharing an undeniable chemistry. They give grounded performances, and things never delve into melodrama. Based on Kate Marchant’s novel, Float may be a by-the-numbers romance movie, but it hits the mark with surprising wit and sensitivity for the issues their characters face.

If for nothing else, see it for Andrea Bang, who just continues to prove with her resume that she’s going to be an absolute force.

3/5 Stars