'What If' You Wanted To Date Someone But Could Only Be Friends?
By Staff in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 8, 2014 8:20PM
Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan in WHAT IF, released by CBS Films. Photo credit: Caitlin Cronenberg
One of the smartest, wittiest romantic comedies in a long time is What If. The screenplay is based on the play Toothpaste and Cigars by T.J. Dawe and Michael Rinaldi. The movie stars Daniel Radcliffe who plays Wallace, a down on his luck, medical school dropout who lives in his sister’s attic. Wallace’s old college roommate Allan, Adam Driver of Girls fame, is the only link he has to a social life until he meets Allan’s cousin Chantry, Zoe Kazan, at a house party.
Wallace and Chantry have an immediate connection thanks to their dark, sarcastic humor and personally awkward human nature. Yet, meeting “someone” is never this easy! Chantry soon reveals in a round about, head shaker of a way that she has a boyfriend. I would guess almost any guy could relate to Wallace’s situation. Who hasn’t met an attractive person at a party, hit it off and thought something might happen only for them to mention, “OH BY THE WAY, I have a boyfriend/girlfriend”? So, so close…
The movie is a “boy meets girl, girl is taken—for now” story we’ve all seen before. But, What If is funny and will appeal to the darker, cynicism of ones creative, sarcastic side. The characters truly do appear to be friends for most of the movie with slight glimmers of attraction that keep you guessing when they’ll cross the line. The back and forth snark is rather endearing and you hope they find a way past the friendship of Fool’s Gold to actual love.
Our only real criticism is of the character Allan, the college roommate/cousin played by Adam Driver. Driver’s character on Girls, Adam Sackler, seems eerily similar, with his loud antics and loudly spoken blanket statements. While the character is funny, the film seems to showcase the less depressing version of that character.
What If is an enjoyable movie whether it’s a girl’s night out or a summer date night and opens in theaters today.
By: Joseph Campagna