Dating Amber review – warm and witty spin on the rom-com

Writer-director David Freyne has given us a likeable and well-meaning riff on the traditional romantic comedy with his latest film, Dating Amber – though its superior original title, Beards, does a better job of explaining its story of two queer teenagers who pretend to be a couple to avoid being harassed by their classmates.

Set in County Kildare in mid-nineties Ireland, the story finds Eddie (Normal People's Fionn O'Shea) living an awkward and lonely existence in which his macho army officer dad (Barry Ward) pushes him towards and military career and spends the evenings fighting with Eddie's put-upon mum (Sharon Horgan).

At school, Eddie is bullied for his perceived lack of interest in the opposite sex. Meanwhile, classmate Amber (Lola Petticrew) is pelted with insults for the same reason. What they have in common, however, is the fact they're both gay and hiding it, a notion that gives Amber her bright idea: why not pretend to be a couple in order to finish out the school year in relative peace?

A 90s version of this film might have leaned further into the wacky antics that come as a result of their pairing, and though this is a light and broadly drawn film in many respects, it never gets silly enough that it loses sight of its characters as fully rounded people. Dating Amber's depiction of a platonic friendship between a male and a female feels genuinely refreshing to watch, and there's a nice balance of comedy and drama that's harder to achieve than people might think.

There's something of Richard Ayoade's Submarine in the slightly heightened reality and also in the film's impressive production design, which makes use of bright colours and visual motifs. Yet what stands out most are the performances – especially that of O'Shea, who gives a nervy, comedically rich turn that always evades caricature. And he has great chemistry with Petticrew, whose own performance as the loud but loveable Amber will surely win her plenty of notices.

There is a sense that Dating Amber could have gone a bit further with its premise; it seems to linger for too long in the same territory, and you are maybe left with something that does have the air of a glorified (but very good) sitcom episode. The ending, too, seems a little overplayed – a bit unbelievable and easy, under the circumstances. But it's hard not to admire the film's deft and playful handling of its subject matter and its success in creating gay characters that are entirely free of cliche. A wholesome and good-hearted watch.

Dating Amber is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.