Netflix Just Added a 2021 Rom-Com

Romantic comedy lovers now have a new movie to watch on Netflix. Long Story Short, an Australian movie starring Rafe Spall, was added to the streaming platform on Jan. 1. The movie only had a very limited theatrical release in the U.S. last summer, so this could be the first opportunity for many to see the film. It also features Neighbours star Zahra Newman and Crazy Rich Asians actor Ronny Chieng.

Spall stars as Teddy, who wakes up the day after his wedding to discover that he is quickly jumping ahead in time every few minutes. He only has a few moments to live an entire year, and he doesn’t want to lose the time with the love of his life, Leanne (Newman). His best friend Sam (Chieng) helps him solve the peculiar situation. Dena Kaplan and Noni Hazelhurst also star.

Long Story Short was written and directed by Josh Lawson, the Australian actor who played Kano in Mortal Kombat and starred as Doug Guggenheim in Showtime’s House of Lies. This was Lawson’s first film as director since The Little Death (2014). He also wrote and starred in the Oscar-nominated short film The Eleven O’Clock (2016). Lawson gave himself a supporting role in Long Story Short as Patrick.

The movie hit theaters in Australia in February. In March, Saban Films picked up North American distribution of the film. “We are such huge fans of Josh Lawson’s first film The Little Death and are honored to partner with him on his newest feature,” Saban’s Bill Bromiley told Variety. “Our audiences will love the humor and heartwarming story that this incredible cast delivers.”

While Saban might have been fans of the film, they didn’t give it a big push in theaters during the coronavirus pandemic. Long Story Short finished its worldwide theatrical run with $2.3 million, but no U.S. numbers were recorded on Box Office Mojo. The movie has a 61% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes with less than 50 ratings from viewers. Perhaps with Long Story Short‘s Netflix release, more people will check it out.

Spall also stars in The Ritual (2017) and The BFG (2016), which are both available on Netflix. His Black Mirror episode “White Christmas” is also available on the streaming platform. Spall’s next TV series, The English, was created by Hugo Blick and stars Emily Blunt. It will be released on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S.