A pretty and capable young cast and a grand tour of the sights of Northern Spain and Portugal recommend “The Map that Leads to You,” a sweet nothing of a travelogue with lots of wish fulfillment fantasy about it.
Madelyn Cline of “Outer Banks” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” stars as Heather, a Texan organizing herself and two college pals (Sofia Wylie and Madison Thompson) through a post-grad summer trip through Europe.
Amy (Thompson) may be hooking-up and partying her way past a broken heart, but Heather is on-schedule and sticking to the plan. That plan entails no missed trains or flights, lots of travel guide tips and a job she has waiting for her back in New York when they get home.
Connie? She’s the mediator between the two.
Then handsome Kiwi Jack (KJ Apa of “Riverdale” and “I Still Believe”) boards their train to Barcelona, climbs up onto the overhead luggage rack to nap, and charms all-business Heather into drifting away from her “Lonely Planet sights” of Europe itinerary.
She’s reading “The Sun Also Rises,” which is a tad “on the nose” for a trip to Spain. But so is he. She’s sticking to a schedule, but he’s a “no plans,” “live in the moment” New Zealander…who is also on a planned route. He’s following his great grandfather’s journal, a travel diary about his trek through Europe after serving in WWII.
Jack is smitten and persistent. Heather isn’t put off. Connie? She’s taken with Jack’s Aussie pal Raef (Orlando Norman). They’re both a tad too distracted to stop Amy’s impulsive parade of poor decisions.
But while the blunder that has her tumbling into a worldwise Brit may almost cost her the passport and belongings she’s toting across The Continent, it sets up the “wish fulfillment fantasy” part of this story. They rob the robber of enough cash to enjoy a free-spending extension of their vacations.
They not only see the Gaudí wonders of Barcelona. Jack rents them a Mercedes convertible to tool up the coast to Port Lligat, and the Salvador Dali house there.
They dash over to Bilbao and San Sebastian on the Atlantic Coast, cut back to Pamplona to run with the bulls, and detour down to Porto and Lisbon in Portugal, all of these places listed in the journal of Jack’s great grandpa Russell, who might have fought at Monte Cassino, because there’s an Italian destination in Jack’s plans as well.
Of course a simmering slow romance is part of this journey, with Jack’s secrets and Heather’s trust issues and evasive calls from worried dad (Josh Lucas) back in Texas as our new college grad indulges and is indulged in every whim Jack whips up.
“Does it,” meaning the budding romance, “mean anything?” “Why would it? We’re leaving tomorrow?”
The leads have just enough chemistry to make them credible as a couple. The supporting roles are consistently underwritten, and when they have their “moments,” they’re barely bland enough to merit mention.
The ending is abrupt and a romance novel cliche. Or two.
But director Lasse Hallström has been making romances of all varieties (“Chocolat,” “The Hundred Foot Journey,” “Safe Haven,””Dear John”) so long he could make this sweet nothing play in his sleep.
He doesn’t doze off on this one, though we suspect the shoot had plenty of siestas, as there’s little that’s demanding or surprising or amounts to anything more than a Crema Calatana, an Iberian dessert that’s skipped the main course.
Rating: PG-13, fisticuffs, drug references, nudity, some profanity
Cast: Madelyn Cline, KJ Apa, Sofia Wylie, Madison Thompson, Orlando Norman and Josh Lucas.
Credits:Directed by Lasse Hallström, scripted by Vera Herbert and Leslie Bohem, based on a novel by J.P. Monninger. An MGM release on Amazon.
Running time: 1:38
