From what I have seen and heard all it takes to find a date is swipe your finger to the left or right. The dating world has certainly changed now that almost everyone has a smartphone or access to the internet. I understand there is a phone app that alerts you whenever there is a person near you that is active on the same dating site that you enrolled in. You might be able to tell I really have no idea what I am talking about here. Call me old fashioned but all of these “new fangled” methods of dating do not appeal to me. Maybe because we have become more of an instant gratification type of society, but I still do not understand why the art of talking/communicating has taken a back seat to physical appearances and close proximity when it comes to having a date. Back in the “old” days single people would meet each other through friends, at their job, the grocery store, on public transportation; a multitude of places but it was usually face to face. Sure there were tricks of the trade that were used depending on the circumstances; for example, a blind date could be set up to meet for a cup of coffee at a café. The reason being if you were not interested in the person the date would be short. Doing a dinner and show type of date would give you more time to learn about the other person plus if conversation was tentative the movie would occupy part of the time together. Some people prefer having an activity to do during their 1^st date, such as a bike ride or bowling to find some commonality between each other. Personally I have found these old ways of dating to be more civilized. Now here is something to wrap your brain around; imagine having a first date that went on for the entire day, continuing into the night.   FIRST dates could be a challenge for some but intern Barack Obama, played by Parker Sawyers (Zero Dark Thirty, Survivor), thought he had everything planned out unbeknownst to his work mentor Michelle Robinson, played by Tika Sumpter (Ride Along franchise, One Life to Live-TV). This film festival winning biographical drama was about the actual first date Barack and Michelle had back in Chicago before anyone knew their names. These two actors were the main focus of the film though there were a few scenes with Vanessa Bell Calloway (Cheaper by the Dozen, Daylight) and Phillip Edward Van Lear (Meet the Browns, Prison Break-TV) as Marian and Frank Robinson. I did not connect with this movie at first because I found it slow moving. It is funny, as I sat watching this picture I was saying to myself, “Pick up the pace.” But then as things progressed it occurred to me that I was witnessing an actual date. The actors did a good job of acting instead of impersonating their characters. The way the two slowly became comfortable with each other was sweet in my opinion. I wonder how many people today could or would go on a first date like the one in this romantic picture.

2 ½ stars