If you've ever seen a Hollywood romantic comedy, you'll know where is headed after the first few minutes. In fact, you may have seen the trailer or maybe the poster. Fortunately, its enticing leads make the journey worthwhile.
Two breakups are depicted in the first scene of I Want You Back. Noah (Scott Eastwood) ditches Emma (Jenny Slate) because she has no ambitions and, more importantly, he has fallen in love with Ginny (Clark Backo), the owner of a pie store. And Anne (Gina Rodriguez) breaks a six-year relationship with Peter (Charlie Day) because she feels suffocated by their routine life together as an aspiring jet-setter. There, the two people with freshly break-up wounds teamed up to bring back "the love of their life".
Emma and Peter are destined to be together and we know this even before the opening credits. I Want You Back starts off strong and flavorful, allowing Day and Slate to settle into a comfortable groove.
As the ridiculous moments add up, the film develops a rhythm. It has good comedy timing, and the dialogue is occasionally amusing. Though it's a rom-com, the movie is completely sexless. However, I would love to see Jenny Slate and Charlie Day in action because I know they can pull off quirky yet still sexy intimate scenes.
Slate, who is usually entertaining, has moments of crumby charm. Her ability to depict shades of disappointment, rather than her perfectly trained comedy skills, raises her performance above the genre average. Other characters, particularly Manny Jacinto's arty Logan, who, while directing a middle-school production of "Little Shop of Horrors," has his moments. I particularly like one of his quotes:
Sometimes seeing someone you once loved embrace new love can be healing.
Noah is sympathetically portrayed by Eastwood. He's all about fitness and nutrition, but he's not shallow or narcissistic. Thank goodness. And, while his arc is abrupt, it is rewarding. Anne, on the other hand, appears underdeveloped, and one can't help but believe her huge comic scene falls flat.
The movie, in general, accomplishes what it set out to do. Slate and Day both have enough underdog charisma to make us root for their characters, if not their misguided goals.
SCORE: 4/5
Comments