Search

What If (2013)

thereviewers
May 13, 2015
2 min read

What If is a part teen, part adult romantic comedy that sees Wallace, a medical school dropout who has been burned repeatedly by bad relationships, meet Chantry. Despite forming an instant connection there is a slight problem, Chantry has a boyfriend. This leaves the pair wondering what if the love of your life is your best friend.

Overall Review Score

5.5 out of 10

Review

What If, also known as the F Word in some countries, is an Irish-Canadian Romantic Comedy that is set firmly in reality as the audience can either relate to Wallace or Chantry, which makes the film interesting as the audience will spend some time pondering how they would handle a similar situation. While the film features an effervescent love pretext, it does suffer from overtly the boy meets girl; boy cannot have girl cliché seen in nearly every other romantic comedy ever released, which causes the film to feel stale in places. However, its relentless character development, use of supporting cast and the occasional comedic moment redeems the film. Overall, What If is a romantic comedy pitched at the teen / early adult market, so if you want a coming of age film that tries to explain true love through artistic drawings, baffling special effects and the occasional joke What If is for you.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 4 out of 10

Comments:

What If is a worthy romantic comedy but can sometimes feel predictable, and all too familiar in places, as it draws on the whole boy meets girl premise we have seen a million times before. In addition What If plays on all the conventional clichés, is full of subplots and has supporting actors that come across as plain, uninteresting and all too convenient to moving the story along.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 7 out of 10

Comments:

While this film is a typical rom-com, the relationship between Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Kazan) seems organic, awkward and real, likewise the scenes surrounding the re-arranging fridge magnets is reasonably funny. However, this film attempts to be more serious than it should be – humour seems to be an afterthought and the audience is quickly swept up in a Wallace / Chantry friendship that has limited, to no, chance of progressing. Although, the writers conveniently include a major plot shift about 20 minutes prior to the end of the film to attempt to set things up for the final scene. Overall, What If is a romantic cliché that is supported by mediocre comedy.