What If

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver, Megan Park, Rafe Spall
Directed by: Michael Dowse
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Romance
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary:
A guy (Daniel Radcliffe) meets a girl (Zoe Kazan) and is determined to be friends, even though he immediately falls for her.

Review:

Tim: What If covers absolutely no new ground. This is a romantic comedy that explores the age old question of whether men and women can be friends without getting romantically involved (spoiler alert, they can't). Every single thing in this movie has been done before by better movies. You might think that would cause me to hate this film. It doesn't. I can't claim What If is a good movie, but it executes decently on this well-worn path. This movie has a few strengths, although it ultimately doesn't do enough to really stand out.

I'm always interested in seeing what Daniel Radcliffe is up to post-Harry Potter. The guy has some talent, but he's short and looks like Harry Potter. I doubt he'll have a truly exceptional career. It's interesting to see him in this role. He's a nice, funny everyman whom falls for a girl who says she just wants to be friends. Radcliffe plays the straight man here and for the most part, it works. He'll never be among the great romantic comedy leads, but he brings just enough of his relatable charm to the role to make it work. I enjoyed his character and wanted him to succeed. Zoe Kazan was good as well. She certainly has cornered this eccentric, flighty charm that is appealing to watch on screen. She was believable as the girl-her-door friend who someone like Radcliffe's character could develop feelings toward. Radcliffe and Kazan work well together both as friends and as potential love interests. I enjoyed their interactions on screen. Adam Driver is humorous as the zany best friend, mostly there for comedic relief. His delivery of the "nachos" line was perfect. Rafe Spall was decent as the boyfriend. I wonder if he has talent, because he always seems to be cast in these forgettable, thankless roles.

The script is beyond predictable, but it has its moments. Much of it plays out as your typical, expected romantic comedy. I will admit a few scenes sprinkled throughout the film kept me engaged. This is a romantic comedy that feels like every other romantic comedy, but it at least attempted to be something more. The attempt fails, but I appreciate that it was made. While this film won't grab hold of you, it's at least mildly entertaining from start to finish. There are moments of real charm in between the well-worn rom com trails.

While What If features a few nice moments and has the occasional entertaining sequence, it ultimately feels too forgettable to me. It's not that anything in the film is especially bad- there isn't a major red flag in the entire film. The issue is that the movie safely plays by all the rules. It colors within the lines and never tries to be great. That's fine- not every movie needs to be exceptional. However, there were some genuinely good pieces here and it's a bit disappointing the script follows the exact path we'd expect. I would say this is a decent romantic comedy, but by playing it too safe, it became far too forgettable.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



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