What If is a romantic comedy which tries to answer the question which When Harry Met Sally also dealt with: Can a man and a woman just be friends? Personally I think it is a question which will be answered differently by women compared to men. It doesn’t matter how good a man is in pushing back his animalistic instincts, they won’t disappear and will appear if the right situation arises.
Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) is a guy who isn’t looking for love after an unexpected end of his relationship. During a party at one of his friends he meets Chanty (Zoe Kazan). He has a nice conversation with her and walks her to her appartement. She tells him she has a boyfriend, but that she does want to see him as a friend. He is fine with that, but as time progresses his feelings for her start to grow stronger.
What I really liked about What If is that the way the story progresses feels very natural and the movie doesn’t have too many unrealistic scenes. The friendship between Radcliffe and Kazan convinces and the supporting cast is a joy to watch as well, with Adam Drive being the funniest. Stylistically the movie doesn’t stand out, except for a couple of animated sequences having to do with Chanty (as she is an animator). What If is a romantic comedy without the “shock value” ingredients you see so much nowadays and it reminded me of the old fashioned classics, even though it doesn’t manage to reach the same heights.
I did really enjoy the chemistry between the two leads in this film, and really want to see Zoe Kazan in more things. Just think it was a slight shame that I didn’t want them together at the end.
I’ve seen Zoe Kazan in two movies and I like her as well. I can understand your feeling about the ending 🙂
Nice review! I enjoyed the film, but it bothered me how much people tried to sell it as “not another romantic comedy” when they actually did hit quite a few of those cliches.
Thanks Brittani. It definitely is a romantic comedy, but I do think it is more of a realistic depiction in the genre.
I really liked What If. It was one of my favorite movies of the year so far. Very charming and quirky, and great chemistry between the leads. I agree about Adam Driver – certainly the funniest in it!
Probably not that high on my own list, but I did have a great time with it. Adam Driver was awesome.