Old Fashioned

This uniquely romantic film takes on 50 Shades in true David-and-Goliath fashion . . .

Old Fashioned
Starring Rik Swartzwelder, Elizabeth Roberts
In theaters Feb. 14
Run time: 115 minutes

By the time this review lands in your mailbox, you’ll likely have seen dozens of print, television and online ads for the movie version of the best-selling porn novel 50 Shades of Grey. Groups like Morality in the Media blasted the film’s R rating as way too soft. It truly needs an NC-17 stamp, which would have killed its box office appeal.

Taking on this box-office behemoth in true David-and-Goliath fashion is a little film about old fashioned romance … and courtship, an archaic word that was flushed down the toilet thanks to the sexual revolution. Old Fashioned‘s writer-director-star Rik Swartzwelder told TIME magazine that he worked on the screenplay for a decade.

Swartzwelder describes the film as “not a religious film, per se” but “a film with faith,” which was financed by individuals who believed in the story. He stars as former frat boy Clay Walsh, who has given up his reckless lifestyle and settled down to run an antique shop in a small Midwestern college town.

Determined to put his partying ways behind him, Clay has become notorious for his lofty and outdated theories on love and romance. But when Amber Hewson (Roberts), a free-spirited woman with a gypsy soul, rents the apartment above his shop, Clay can’t help being attracted to her spontaneous and passionate embrace of life. New to the area, Amber finds herself surprisingly drawn to Clay and his noble ideas.

Both characters struggle to overcome their fears and deep wounds, which gives the film surprising depth. Like many of the newer slate of faith-based films, Old Fashioned’s faith element is subtle, not forced. And the story is evenly paced and refreshing. I expect critics will laud 50 Shades and excoriate this film. But if you’re looking for a heartwarming Valentine’s Day date-night flick, Old Fashioned is a hands-down winner.

PATRICK NOVECOSKY is Legatus magazine’s editor-in-chief.

Click for Old Fashioned‘s official website