I Want You Back (2022)

February 14, 2022 9:40 PM

Peter and Emma thought they were on the precipice of life’s biggest moments — marriage, kids, and houses in the suburbs — until their respective partners dumped them. Horrified to learn that the loves of their lives have already moved on, Peter and Emma hatch a hilarious plan to win back their exes with unexpected results.

Happy Valentine’s Day lovers!

posted by chrchr (6 comments total)

Lemme guess, Peter and Emma end up together in the end.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:50 AM on February 15, 2022

This was pretty cute. They handwaved some potentially really creepy stuff. I thought the final complication came too late and deprived the story of some needed denouement.

Scott Eastwood had a bit of a Luke MacFarlane vibe which he pulled off well, but it kind of just made me want Luke MacFarlane in the role.

Ginny is played by Clark Backo, Cousin Rose from Letterkenny.

Jenny Slate is great, her performance is quite nuanced at times.

Charlie Day and Scott Eastwood were both in Pacific Rim II: Uprising.

Always nice to see Manny Jacinto. His character split the difference between his characters from The Good Place and Nine Perfect Strangers.

Gina Rodriguez was good too, but her character wasn't given many standout moments.

All in all a pretty agreeable film if you like romcoms.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 5:15 AM on February 15, 2022

We enjoyed this! Jenny Slate was particularly incredible (such excellent comic delivery!) and I thought she and Day had really great chemistry and rapport. A lot of what happens in this movie is TERRIBLE but hey, it works out okay.
posted by obfuscation at 6:07 AM on February 19, 2022

But yes, will agree with the above comments that it was predictable (though there were definitely points where it seemed it might not go that way), and that the ending happened WAY fast.
posted by obfuscation at 6:09 AM on February 19, 2022

I liked the ending! Sure, there's the strong implication that they're going to try to make it work, but they don't even kiss, just look significantly at each other. The "happily ever after" ending can be extrapolated if that's what you want in a rom com, but Peter and Emma's relationship is left unresolved.

The creepy stuff is played for laughs, of course, and I'm not going to fault anyone for being turned off by that. But I don't think the leads are let off the hook for it. Everyone else is very clear that their behavior is not ok, and I think the choice not to go for the clear HEA is also an acknowledgment that there's more work to be done here than can be covered in the endgame of a rom com.

I liked the personal growth each of the leads managed, even while continuing to make very poor choices in other ways. I hope they find very good therapists, heh.
posted by the primroses were over at 10:27 AM on February 19, 2022 [1 favorite]

I loved everything between Slate & Day. The parts of the movie that weren't them together were kind of ... dull. I think they could've cut the whole "we're partying with teenagers and here's Pete Davidson" segment and no one would have noticed.

But I like that Peter and Emma are acknowledged to be messy and messed up. I also like that Peter and Anne realized their relationship had run its course and that's OK!

I know what I'm getting into with a romcom and I guess I liked the whole "you're my slow burn" aspect of it because that's the chemistry Slate & Day had (and I also always love when romcom leads actually have any chemistry) but I just feel like it took so long for them to get there.

I'm always here for Manny Jacinto. How is he just that gorgeous all the time?
posted by edencosmic at 6:03 PM on March 2, 2022