At Middleton Synopsis: Two parents fall in love over the course of a single day while playing hooky from their children’s college tour.
While on a campus tour with their children, Edith and George find themselves taking their own tour and falling in love along the way.
I had never heard of At Middleton before finding it on Amazon Prime, but I’m a big fan of Vera Farmiga, and I enjoy Andy Garcia, so it seemed like a no-brainer to watch this movie. And I’m happy I did. At Middleton is a really sweet movie about two adults with two very different lives coming together over the course of one day and questioning who they really are and what they might become to one another.
George arrives with his son, Conrad (Spencer Lofranco), who doesn’t show a lot of interest in Middleton. At least not as much as George does. Edith brings her daughter Audrey (played by her real-life sister, Taissa Farmiga), who is dead-set on attending Middleton, so a professor can advise her whom she idolizes. Edith is harboring anxiety over Audrey’s impending departure from home, while George is just trying to motivate his son to get excited about something.
Middleton is a small liberal arts college, and I’m not sure where they filmed, but I loved the location. It felt small and intimate, which I think was essential to showcase Edith and George’s growing bond.
Farmiga and Garcia were really lovely to watch together. They had great chemistry, and I was really rooting for them to find some way to be together despite their life situations. This was one of those movies that had relatability to it and a very bittersweet ending.
I thought the dialogue was sharp, and Edith and George had some genuinely moving moments as they bounced from place to place on campus and came to terms with their own unhappiness in their respective marriages. Occasionally, there were moments here and there that I’m not sure worked overall, but those particular grievances never took away from my enjoyment of the movie.
Taissa Farmiga and Spence Lofranco were both excellent as two young people who approached college differently during their campus tour but also walked away from it with their expectations changed. Tom Skerritt also shows up as Dr. Roland Emerson, Audrey’s idol, and though his screen time is limited, his performance is still very compelling. Ultimately, Vera Farmiga and Andy Garcia breathe life into the relatively simple script. They’re so natural and charming together that you believe their attraction is genuinely authentic, and that’s what will keep you watching.
At Middleton is a brief encounter romance that I definitely recommend.
Watched: 07/21/2021
At Middleton Notable Song: Piano Sonata, Opus 57 No. 23 by Beethoven
