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"All My Life" is a movie stitched together by formula and predictability. It's as if director Marc Meyers and writer Todd Rosenberg sat down in a conference room and spread out blueprints instructing them how to create a romantic dramedy that offers no surprises along the way. That's because so many have come before it that it would be impossible to add any real variation to this type of movie. Well, there's one surprise about "All My Life" - it's that it kind of works.

Perhaps 2020 is making me soft, because Meyers' new film, which is based on a true story, has enough heart and charm to make it worth rooting for. "All My Life" wastes no time getting started in a frenzied exposition dump: Jenn (Jessica Rothe) and Solomon (Harry Shum Jr.) meet-cute, begin dating, and ultimately form a serious relationship. Solomon - or Sol, as he is nicknamed - proposes to Jenn and shortly after is diagnosed with a terminal illness. The movie progresses along a path you can predict from reading the IMDb summary.

"All My Life" is a prime example of how chemistry between two actors can do the heavy lifting for an entire movie. Rothe and Shum Jr. are immensely charismatic stars and have great chemistry with each other. Their relationship is supportive and playful, and they are able to calibrate their performances with every step their characters take. Rothe, who hasn't hit it as big as predicted after scoring great notices for the "Happy Death Day" movies, has a magnetic screen presence. "All My Life" won't be the movie to propel her to the next level of movie stardom, but it brings her a step closer.

Movies based on Nicholas Sparks novels have conquered the market by providing what "All My Life" has to offer, and while the movie is certainly maudlin, unlike most Sparks adaptations it never feels manipulative. It's saccharine by nature, but never feels like it's preying on your emotions. Ultimately, "All My Life" is a sweet tale you've seen before.