Movie Breakdown: What If

People are doing traditional-style reviews all over the web, so we decided to try something different.  In each “breakdown” we’ll take a look at what a film’s marketing led us to believe, how the movie actually played, and then what we learned from it all.  Read on!

The Impression:

Harry Potter and Ruby Sparks star in a romantic comedy.

The Reality:

While I do feel slightly hoodwinked that a movie called What If doesn’t feature anything particularly imaginative and is pretty much just like every other romantic comedy that’s ever been released, I still liked it.  This is largely due to how the film features rather charming and engaging performances from its leads, Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan.  The pair are a great on-screen match, and I was actually less concerned with the plot moving along and more interested in just watching them hangout and talk.  It also helps that aside from one poorly implemented slapstick moment, director Michael Dowse does his best to keep What If coated in normalcy, so the film never gets too goofy or unbelievable.  You can actually watch it, relate to it, and have fun with it without wanting to roll your eyes out of your head.  What a crazy concept!

What If won’t blow you away, but it’s a solid little flick.  Matinee it after brunch.

The Lesson:

Radcliffe and Kazan both deserve more gigs.