MANY REVIEWS AGO, I TALKED ABOUT changing up one’s routines after a breakup. Part of the reason was to create a diversion from any sadness and another part was to explore new avenues of growth. I remember an early breakup where I spent an entire weekend watching movies. If I recall, I believe I saw twelve movies in three days. In that review I focused more on the diversion instead of the growth that could take place. When in a love relationship, it can be easy to fall into a routine to the point where things become automatic, very little thought is needed. Sure, there is a comfort being in that state, but is it beneficial to the growth of the relationship? Honestly, I fluctuate between the comfort of routines with the adventures of exploring something new. I think that might be one of the reasons I love to travel; it nourishes me in a certain way that reading a book about the place cannot provide. But traveling is not always an easy project. I remember being in a relationship and the two of us taking a trip to Las Vegas for an extended weekend. Withing 24 hours, I realized this was not a good fit because our ideas of a vacation were so opposite of each other. By the time we were flying home, we barely talked to each other. Lesson learned: make sure the person you are going with on a trip is compatible with your expectations.      SEEING HOW THAT RELATIONSHIP DETERIORATED WHILE on vacation gave me a thought that stuck with me for the next time, I found myself in a similar situation. It was a year or two after where I found myself at the end of another relationship. Remembering my Vegas trip, I decided I would take a trip by myself; it was a foreign concept I must tell you. I planned out everything from the location to the hotel to the activities. It was weird at first to be alone on a plane. I kept myself busy by reading a stack of magazines I had bought at one of the terminal’s newsstands. Once I arrived, it was a little unsettling to navigate by myself through the airport and to the rental car location; but I did it. I remember asking the clerk at the rental place for directions to my hotel and was grateful when he pulled out a map and drew a route for me. After I arrived mid-morning and checked into my hotel room, I ventured out to the first tourist attraction I had on my to do list. By the end of the day, I had walked eight miles and had seen several places I had on my list. I discovered I was resourceful and enjoyed planning out and executing a route to cover as much ground as I could to explore the city. Discovering this in myself was one of the reasons I was attracted to the main character in this romantic rom-com.      AFTER THE BREAKUP OF HER MARRIAGE, a woman decides she needs to make some changes in herself. What came to mind was to sign up for a wilderness survival trek with a group of strangers. The trip would test her in ways she had not expected. With Ellie Kemper (The Stand In, Bridesmaids) as Helen, Luke Grimes (Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, The Magnificent Seven) as Jake, Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians, Superstore-TV) as Hugh, Blythe Danner (I’ll See You in my Dreams, The Last Kiss) as Gigi and Ben Cook (West Side Story, Paterno) as Beckett; this movie did everything by the book. In other words, pretty much everything was predictable. I enjoyed Ellie’s and Luke’s performances; however, the script was too generic to the point it did not provide any surprises. In fact, at times it would telegraph what was going to happen later in the film. For a story based on taking risks, the writers should have listened and done the same.

1 ¾ stars