One woman's real-life story of fate and exploration is getting the rom-com treatment. "A Tourist's Guide to Love," from writer Eirene Tran Donohue and director Steven K. Tsuchida, will begin streaming on April 21 on Netflix — and POPSUGAR has an exclusive first look at the trailer. Starring Rachael Leigh Cook, "A Tourist's Guide to Love" follows a travel executive on an undercover assignment in Vietnam shortly after an unexpected breakup. While there, the lines between work and pleasure blend as she finds herself falling for her tour guide, played by Scott Ly.
"Whenever I tell people about how I met my husband while traveling in Vietnam, they always say that it sounds like a movie, and so it's pretty surreal to actually turn it into one," writer Donohue tells POPSUGAR. "And while the story has changed a lot from my real life, the emotional truth is the same. That feeling when you meet someone who makes you realize that you can do or be anything. I'm so grateful to have found a partner who inspires and supports me and who, after 22 years together, keeps my life a romantic comedy instead of a drama."
Highlighting the rich culture of Vietnam was important for Donohue, and for the film's star and producer Cook, who fans first fell in love with in 1999's "She's All That." Filming the movie was the first time the actor and producer visited Vietnam, and she praises the country's people as being "so friendly, inclusive, loving, creative, and wholly unique." She tells POPSUGAR, "I feel very lucky to have been embraced by the people in the creative community there while we were making this film."
Fans have been falling back in love with rom-coms over the past few years, and Cook appreciates the unique take on the genre "A Tourist's Guide to Love" presents. She explains, "The aim of this film was not just to tell a love story, but to capture the sheer joy that can come with people from different cultures coming together and connecting over a shared, totally unique, and beautiful experience. This is a movie that is as much about loving life as it is another person."
Keep reading to watch the first trailer and learn more about "A Tourist's Guide to Love"'s cast, plot, and release date.
"A Tourist's Guide to Love" Cast
In addition to Cook and Ly, the film also stars Missi Pyle, Ben Feldman, Glynn Sweet, Alexa Povah, Jacqueline Correa, Nondumiso Tembe, Andrew Barth Feldman, Morgan Dudley, Quinn Trúc Trần, and Nsưt Lê Thiện.
"A Tourist's Guide to Love" Inspiration
In addition to being ripped from her own life, "A Tourist's Guide to Love" writer Donohue says she found inspiration in "classic old Hollywood movies." Explains Donohue to POPSUGAR, "I was a big fan of Audrey Hepburn. So 'Roman Holiday' and 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' were a big influence. Then of course the classic '90s rom coms. 'Pretty Woman,' 'While You Were Sleeping' and 'Sleepless in Seattle.' More recently, I've definitely been inspired by 'Crazy Rich Asians.' For me it's really important to make sure that the romance is central and also that the main character isn't just interested in finding a man, but that they are searching for love. And that the love they find is worthy of them. I want the audience to emotionally connect with the characters and to feel like that big love is real and that it's possible for them too. Everyone deserves a big love."
"A Tourist's Guide to Love" Release Date
"A Tourist's Guide to Love" will begin streaming on Netflix on April 21.
"A Tourist's Guide to Love" Poster
"A Tourist's Guide to Love" Stills
