Cinema: ‘I Want You Back’ A Standard Rom Com
The romantic comedy has been around since the early days of cinema. Even many of Charlie Chaplin’s films revolve around a love interest and him fumbling around trying to win a woman over. Comedy and romance have become almost intertwined with even standard romantic films having a few comedic sequences. Maybe the clumsy and jovial emotion of love is perfectly suited for the likes of comedy which is about laughing and emotional enjoyment. With the subgenre shortened as the Rom Com, there have been countless films under that genre banner. I Want You Back is another film fitting itself snuggly within the genre. There is nothing truly special about the film and it feels basic in both its story and some funny comedic moments. The acting from Charlie Day and Jenny Slate are highlights in the film, but they cannot support a script that is neither special nor fresh. I Want You Back can be best described as a standard Rom Com from Amazon.
The film is about two people in their mid-thirties who just got dumped. Peter (Charlie Day) is broken up with by his girlfriend of six years Anne (Gina Rodriguez) because she feels stifled in the relationship and she wants more out of life. Emma (Jenny Slate) is broken up with because her boyfriend Noah (Scott Eastwood) has found someone new that he feels a connection with. While they are both heartbroken and distraught, Emma and Peter meet by chance crying over their exes in a stairwell located in the building where they both work. They bond through their shared experience and become close friends. As they grow closer, they realize that they could help each other get back with their exes. Comedic hijinks ensue as each of them work towards breaking up their exes' new relationships. The film is directed by Jason Orley who is best known for Big Time Adolescence (2019) with Pete Davidson (who also makes a cameo in this film). The script is written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger who are known for writing episodes of This is Us (2016 – 2021) and the film Love, Simon (2018).
The best aspect of the movie are the two lead performances from Jenny Slate and Charlie Day. They have both worked on successful comedic television shows. Slate has been in shows such as Parks and Recreation (2013 – 2015) and Kroll Show (2013 – 2015), along with voice acting in Bob's Burgers (2012 – 2022) and Big Mouth (2017 – 2022). Charlie Day has been in other films and television shows but he is most known for his performance as Charlie in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2004 – 2021) for which he is also a lead writer and producer on the series. Both actors have experience in comedic roles and it shows in I Want You Back. They are masters of line delivery. During comedic scenes, they know how to work off of each other’s performance and add some hilarity to comedic situations. Also, during more serious scenes, they do not play it for laughs as other comedians might and they do a great job no matter what the scene is going for. The end result in the movie is that they feel like normal people who have a natural propensity for humor, while using a grounded comedic performance that works well. Unfortunately it is their performances that are the glue holding together an otherwise average romantic comedy story together.
The pitfall for the film is the writing. Good writing and funny actors are not the only aspect that makes for a great Rom Com, the concept needs to be original as well. For example, some could argue that 50 First Dates (2004) is an average Rom Com, but the inventive concept of memory loss makes it a creative story with standard Sandler gags. The same could be said for other great romantic comedies such as Pretty Woman (1990), Knocked Up (2007) and Crazy Stupid Love (2011). All three of these films are very similar in how it is a funny story about two people falling in love, although what elevates these films to being great is that they have very distinct concepts that make them interesting to watch. In I Want You Back, the concept of two people trying to get each other back together with their exes becomes boring and uninteresting past the first half hour, making the rest of the hour and a half-run time a slog to get through. The thing that tries and fails to overcome all of this is the premise which cannot seem to decide where it stands morally on the toxic main characters.
The ending, which will not be spoiled here, leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. It is unclear whether the writers want to reward the characters for their toxic qualities or make fun of them and bring the audience inside on the joke. Throughout the film, it is very clear that the main characters Emma and Peter are children in adult bodies throwing a tantrum that things have not gone their way. This is played off for laughs as being “normal behavior, as if a person's first default during a breakup is to make sure the person that broke up with them is dealt some form of revenge either by them or someone else. While this may happen, it should not be something that is applauded in any way and towards the end of the film, the characters are dealt retaliation for their toxic behavior. Then the rest of the film casually gives them a redemption arch which makes for a nice happy ending. A character that was toxic 10 minutes before the end of the film is viewed as normal in the last minute. This is a problem because there are no redeemable qualities that have been shown in nine minutes that show that these characters have matured or changed. If they were toxic before and they have not done anything to change their past habits, why are they being viewed as non-toxic all of a sudden? The ending could be ironic, but even if it was, it makes for an offbeat ending that literally leaves the viewer questioning the narrative decision rather than sitting happy with how it ended.
With all of this being said, the film still has funny moments. The characters unintentionally put themselves in comedic situations that Slate and Day play very well in. Some scenes played for laughs are funny and they are delivered well, but there are others that don’t. If one scene is funny and another is not, it just hurts both scenes. Unfortunately, even with strong performances from Slate and Day, it does not redeem an uninteresting concept in an overlong film. Expectations for any Rom Com are low to begin with, but the film does not even meet those. I Want You Back is, in the end, a standard Rom Com that does nothing new. It will become some peoples comfort watch and others will just forget that it ever existed in the next ten years.