I never watched the movie, but I felt ill reading your plot explanation.

A lot of people love this movie, but I think it's actually rather unpleasant

Like all these things, there is an undercurrent that Fate is at work and also that we should all let our hearts rule our heads. When you think about it, it is quite irresponsible on several fronts - but what a common trope - Love will have its way and we are powerless in its grip. The main reason for unfeasibly high expectations of marriage, maybe.

We didn't watch the World Cup final either- we were at the Globe Theatre watching the machinations of Falstaff and Doll Tearsheet.

I agree about it being irresponsible. Works of art that misrepresent human nature and the human condition are deeply immoral. They offer false hope, false expectations, false ideals.

And yet the people making works of art are often fallible, unwise and misled themselves, and create art reflecting their confusion or their misunderstandings.

It's not malice. It's just lack of experience or introspection.

Yes, I accept that- broadly speaking.

I find that the vast majority of movies that people consider "romantic" actually creep me out.

I mainly avoid them. With this one I was hoping to be pleasantly entertained- and the actual content rather took me by surprise.

Very creepy.

It bothered me that a grieving person was a person in need of fixing. There's a hint of sexist manipulation that irks me--poor lonely male doesn't know what's good for him, and needs someone purer of heart and more emotionally connected to save him (his son, the female radio host, the female listeners, the stalker...).