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WHAT IF (review)

Review by Benn Robbins
Produced by David Gross, Macdara Kelleher, 
André Rouleau, Marc Stephenson
Screenplay by Elan Mastai
Based on Cigars and Toothpaste by T. J. Dawe and Michael Rinaldi
Directed by Michael Dowse
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan,
Megan Park, Adam Driver

I really enjoyed What If.

No, it wasn’t the best romantic comedy ever but there is something very sweet and genuine about it.   Even with the much used premise of “what happens if friends fall in love, while one has a significant other?”, What If, manages to stay fresh, through well developed characters and clever take on an old standard.

Originally titled The “F”-Word, writer, Elan Mastai and director Michael Dowse have concocted a very nice story, based on the play Toothpaste and Cigars by T.J. Dawe and Michael Rinaldi.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, What If starts out very formulaic in the beginning, but slowly begins to unravel the normal romantic comedy structure showing how these two random people Wallace (Radcliffe) and Chantry (Kazan) become friends and grow very close.

The “Will they/Won’t they” of their relationship is pretty well developed and leaves you throughout the film wondering if they will or not.

For me the charm of the film is in Wallace’s best friend/room mate, Allan, played by Adam Driver. He is hilarious and a great counterpoint to Radcliffe’s sullen and mopey, recently heartbroken character.

In the end, What If, winds up being a heartfelt story of romance and the confusion involved when the last thing you ever want is to hurt the one you love when you fall in love with the one person you never thought you would ever fall in love with.

In this big blockbuster summer, What If, is a nice breath of fresh air in the sea of CGI action films powering through the theaters this season.

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