Stream It Or Skip It: ‘At Midnight’ on Paramount+, Where a Broken-Hearted Movie Star Falls for a Hotel Manager

In At Midnight, a new romantic comedy now streaming on Paramount+, a freshly broken up movie star couple finds themselves faking it ’til they make it to their franchise’s big release date – and the Oscars. During a scenic shoot in Mexico, however, a new love unexpectedly develops – and our leading lady finds herself unsure of what her future might hold.

AT MIDNIGHT: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Movie franchise co-stars Adam (Anders Holm, Workaholics, How to Be Single) and Sophie (Monica Barbaro, Top Gun: Maverick) are in love. They’re so in love, in fact, that they spend their days fawning over one another on late night shows, and they’re set to shoot the next installment of their franchise in Mexico, another romantic location. They’re Hollywood’s favorite It Couple until Sophie discovers Adam cheating on her in his trailer, prompting her to vomit and send her agent Margot (Whitney Cummings) into a bit of a panic. Margot insists that they finish the movie and hide the breakup until after the Oscars because the duo is more famous together than apart, creating a less-than-ideal situation for Sophie.

Meanwhile in Mexico, hotel manager Alejandro (Diego Boneta) embraces a life of nameless one night stands, much to the disapproval of his best friend. He manages the dreamy resort where Adam, Sophie and co. will be staying for the duration of their shoot, and has quite the meet-cute with Sophie when he accidentally brings towels to her suite while she’s there (very, very naked). Sophie’s BFF Rachel (Catherine Cohen) is immediately charmed by him, but Sophie, still reeling from the intrusion, isn’t quite as sure. Sophie continues on through the shoot, pretending to still date Adam at Margot’s insistence, and unexpectedly bonds with Alejandro, won over by his incredible cooking skills. Things may be easy for these new lovebirds when they’re on their own, but complications predictably develop as the outside world begins to take notice of their romance. Can these two make it? Only time (and more than a few dramatic declarations) will tell.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: At Midnight definitely brings to mind corny Hallmark and Lifetime-esque romances like Stars Fell on Alabama and Modern Persuasion, with a dash of It Happened in L.A.

Performance Worth Watching: Catherine Cohen and Casey Thomas Brown may be relegated to the best friend/manager roles, but they steal every one of their respective scenes. When things get particularly soapy or start to drag, Cohen or Brown can be relied upon to save the day with a silly quip or memorable one-liner. Every rom-com needs a great best friend, and these two more than fit the bill.

Memorable Dialogue: A lot of At Midnight‘s dialogue is cheeseball, but Casey Thomas Brown’s delivery of “never trust an adult with braces” easily earns a chuckle.

Sex and Skin: Some steamy making out, but everything else is fade to black.

Our Take: There are a lot of ingredients that should make At Midnight work; beautiful scenery, some endearing performances, and a classic rom-com premise. Unfortunately, however, the film doesn’t seem sure what kind of rom-com it wants to be. It starts in the corniest place imaginable, down to the generic sappy and peppy score, and doesn’t really get better from there. It’s hard to care when Sophie discovers Adam is cheating, because we don’t know anything about their relationship – and frankly, even Sophie doesn’t seem to mind that much, despite her over-the-top reactions. The stakes never get to a place that feels high enough for us to become truly invested, whether it’s the non-chemistry between the divided Sophie and Adam or the forced sparks of Sophie and Alejandro. The magic just isn’t there, and neither is the emotional weight.

If At Midnight had committed to a tone – perhaps going more of the fantastical route rather than melding tired Hallmark rom-com tropes and Hollywood cliches – it might have proven itself worthwhile. Sadly, however, it quickly becomes a forgettable fodder, which is a real shame; the young cast is a total delight. With so many other romantic comedies out there, it’s hard to argue for At Midnight‘s place in your queue.

Our Call: SKIP IT. While some of the performances are charming, At Midnight is just a tad too corny to recommend, leaning into stale rom-com tropes in a way that doesn’t feel particularly compelling.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.