‘Love and Wine’ (2025) Netflix Movie Review - A Class-Swap Rom-Com That Mostly Charms

I watched Love and Wine expecting another shiny Netflix rom-com where everyone behaves as if they live in an ad for linen shirts and sunset picnics. Instead, I got a film that confidently mixes romance, comedy, and social-class chaos while pretending it’s all completely normal behavior. And honestly, the movie earns a lot of points for committing to its own absurdity with such conviction.

The story centers on Ovee Sityebi, played with a mix of clueless charm and mild disaster energy by Ntobeko Sishi. He’s the type of rich kid who doesn’t mean to be out of touch; he just speaks in “my family owns a wine empire” by default. After a spectacularly tone-deaf birthday stunt and a string of spoiled-heir moments, he decides he needs to “discover himself”—a phrase that usually signals trouble for everyone involved. His solution? Swap lives with Nathi, his longtime friend and driver, who has actual responsibilities and better common sense, but goes along with the plan because apparently nobody in this movie has heard of consequences.

While pretending to be a regular working-class guy, Ovee meets Amahle, played by Masali Baduza, who instantly elevates the film. Amahle is focused, hardworking, and fully committed to becoming a doctor. She’s surrounded by financial pressure, academic stress, and a life that requires zero nonsense, which makes Ovee’s nonsense even funnier. Their dynamic works because Amahle is grounded and sincere, while Ovee is essentially a lost puppy with a trust fund. Even when the plot makes questionable choices, the two of them keep it afloat with genuine chemistry.

Director Amanda Lane stages their interactions with a breezy rhythm that suits the genre without feeling lazy. The early flirtation scenes are light and unforced, and the film lets their relationship build at a steady pace. It’s refreshing to see a rom-com that understands banter does not have to sound like competitive poetry. Their moments feel casual and human, which helps anchor the more chaotic identity-swap storyline.

The supporting cast adds flavor without overwhelming the central romance. Thandolwethu Zondi as Nathi is one of the film’s best assets—funny without being cartoonish, exasperated without being the stereotypical “wise friend,” and genuinely central to the emotional arc. His scenes with Ovee highlight the film’s quiet theme: friendship is sometimes more complicated than romance, especially when privilege tilts the entire dynamic. The other side characters, including family members and rival love interests, range from amusing to slightly unnecessary, but they contribute enough spark to keep the energy up.

The Cape Winelands setting gives the movie its warm tone. The cinematography doesn’t try too hard to romanticize the landscape; it just lets the vineyards, town streets, and country roads breathe. There’s a looseness to the visuals that suits the story’s mixture of comedy and sincerity. And while the film is not a travel ad, it certainly doesn’t hurt that everything looks pleasant enough to make you consider quitting your job and becoming a part-time grape enthusiast.

The humor works more often than not. The film embraces awkwardness, misunderstandings, and class-mismatch jokes with good timing. Ovee’s attempts to behave like a “normal guy” are ridiculous, and the movie thankfully knows this. Watching him struggle through everyday tasks—tasks he should absolutely know how to handle as an adult—makes for some of the funniest moments. Nathi’s reactions also help, because he represents the audience’s internal monologue: “Why are we doing this? How is this helping anything?” The comedic interplay between the two friends is one of the film’s strongest elements.

But the movie does have its messier parts. The central lie drags on longer than necessary. By the time the truth comes out, most viewers will be begging Ovee to just use his words like a functioning human being. Amahle’s reaction to the revelation is handled well, but the writing could have pushed deeper into the emotional consequences. Instead, the conflict resolves a little too cleanly, as if the movie suddenly remembered it had a runtime to honor and didn’t want to keep the audience waiting.

Some scenes also rely on predictable rom-com beats. You can almost feel the script checking off moments: the big misunderstanding, the dramatic walk-away, the spontaneous emotional speech, the last-minute gesture. They’re familiar, not harmful, but occasionally too neat. And while the movie handles class commentary better than expected, it still dips into wishful thinking—especially when portraying how quickly people forgive deception when the deceiver has a good jawline.

Despite these stumbles, the film stays likable because it doesn’t try to inflate itself into something grand. It’s confident in being a feel-good story with heart, humor, and a cast that clearly enjoys the material. The writing has enough clever touches to avoid sinking into blandness. The direction keeps things moving without rushing the emotional beats. And the performances—especially Sishi, Baduza, and Zondi—carry the movie through its wobblier moments.

Love and Wine is the kind of rom-com that knows it’s not perfect and doesn’t pretend to be. It’s playful, warm, and occasionally chaotic, but mostly in ways that feel intentional. The movie gives you a couple of characters worth rooting for, a relationship you can get invested in, and a handful of scenes that genuinely land. Sure, it spills a bit of wine along the way, but it leaves enough in the glass to enjoy.

If you want something light, charming, and amusing—with just enough emotional depth to avoid feeling disposable—this is an easy movie to recommend. Even when it gets silly, it stays entertaining. And honestly, in the world of Netflix rom-coms, that’s already a victory.

Final Score - [6.5/10]
Reviewed by - Anjali Sharma
Follow @AnjaliS54769166 on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times