What If

I watched this movie on a flight and found it pretty enjoyable. It's fairly staple Rom Com script. Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Cazan) become best friends, but do they want more than to be just friends. Chantry has a long term boyfriend Ben who she is very close to, so it seems they will remain just good friends regardless of whether Wallace wants more. This is pretty much by the numbers rom com storyline. They've been churning these out for years and will continue to do so. It seemed pretty unlikely that Wallace and Chantry would have been best friends and the relationship between them doesn't really ring true. It's pretty watchable though and a good way to pass a couple of hours.

source: What If

A rating of 6.8 suggests that is almost a decent film. When quite frankly it isn't. Its not as bad as Leap Year (worst film ever made) but its not fit to be mentioned in the same Breath as 500 Days of Summer. It tries way to hard to be quirky and cool which just makes it look childish. The kitchen scene, annoying. Woman falling backwards on the stairs. Annoying. Daniel Radclife is actually the best thing in this film. He's dry English sense of humour works. The girl is sweet and is also OK. But as for the supporting cast, every single one of them is annoying. Rafe Spall is usually very funny (I Give it a Year & X&Y) But he is so bad in this with a woeful American accent that every time he was on screen I wanted to turn it off. The scene in the meeting when his phone rings and he picks it up. Stupid on so many levels. Annoying. It doesn't challenge any stereotypes what so ever, with the predictable ending suggesting that indeed, men and woman can not be friends. To quote a line from the film 'Grow up, not all men want to sleep with every woman they get on with'. If you're a teenager you'll probably like it. I guess its aimed at that market. Although my 34 year old single flatmate recommended it speaks volumes, as I hate every film she's told me to watch. I should have known better.

It's funny how, generally speaking, romantic comedies are considered the perfect kind of movies to watch when you just want to chill and think of nothing. Yet, when I watch one of these, the only thing I do is think. About everything and nothing. But mainly about how rubbish these movies are. There's not one thing new, fresh or memorable in "What if". Nothing. Zero. Unless you consider Daniel Radcliffe not being Harry Potter a completely new approach to movie making. If you are into this genre, please disregard my comments, as you may even find something fresh in this predictable plot like other reviews suggest (I smack my forehead in total disbelief). But be aware that watching your favorite romantic comedy for the umpteenth time (even in a foreign language) will probably be more enjoyable than this.

I watched this movie on a flight and found it pretty enjoyable. It's fairly staple Rom Com script. Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Cazan) become best friends, but do they want more than to be just friends. Chantry has a long term boyfriend Ben who she is very close to, so it seems they will remain just good friends regardless of whether Wallace wants more. This is pretty much by the numbers rom com storyline. They've been churning these out for years and will continue to do so. It seemed pretty unlikely that Wallace and Chantry would have been best friends and the relationship between them doesn't really ring true. It's pretty watchable though and a good way to pass a couple of hours.

I saw many people say this is romantic. I don't think so. There are two sides in the story here. OK, there's the supposed "romantic" side for those who are only looking for anything romantic to watch. But there's also the dark side, the rotten one. This is the story of an unstable and unfaithful girl. Unfaithfulness is not romantic at all. I put myself in place of the guy who was cheated on and dumped and say that's "unfaithfulness". Who would like his girl to hang out with another guy, have an intimate relation with him, share intimate things with him, get naked in front of him, and spend a night with him in the open…? If I put myself in place of the lucky guy, I would instantly ask myself: How can I trust such an unstable girl? She said she's never sure what to do. What if the same thing happens to me (be cheated on and get dumped)? What if one day she falls for someone else and throws herself at him? What if she's the kind of girls who changes boyfriends like she changes shoes? Even if we suppose that the first guy is bad and doesn't deserve her, she has to make things clear with him before starting over with someone else. All this is bad and incoherent. I just don't like it.

WHAT IF this film had never been made? The answer is that probably nobody would have missed it. "What If" (a.k.a., "The F Word") tells the story of Chantry and Wallace, who, upon meeting, find that they have some chemistry. But they are kept apart due to Chantry's relationship with Ben. She appears to genuinely love Ben, but never seems totally committed to him. On the other hand, she seems to recognize right away that Wallace is the love of her life. The film is unsuccessful in stringing out this mundane story for 90 minutes. The film was based on a stage play, and the predictable result is a "talky" cinematic experience. One of the major problems of the film is that it sounds "scripted," as if the actors are engaged in the banter with little substance beneath it. Moreover, the snappy dialogue is really not that funny. Woody Allen's scripts are memorable for the one-liners. This one lacks the wit, and it appears as though the actors have been coached to speak their lines as rapidly as possible. While "What If" was clearly intended as a sentimental love story, it was difficult to connect with the extremely stubborn and often unlikable character of Chantry. While Wallace was always genuine, Chantry always seemed cynical. In the restaurant scene, Wallace observes that on numerous occasions, Chantry has "crossed the line." Yet in her universe, she expecting conduct from Wallace that she was incapable of modeling herself. Even when Wallace travels all the way to Dublin to honor her with the truth about how he feels about her, she berates him for trying to break up her relationship with Ben. The ending seemed gimmicky with the two characters giving each other the same gift of "Fool's Gold," based on a joke they enjoyed about Elvis. The sandwich was supposed to announce to the audience how much Chantry and Wallace had in common. But the joke fell flat, exactly like other moments that sought to blend humor with romance. One can only feel for both Ben and Wallace, based on the characterization of Chantry--a mean-spirited, narcissistic, and selfish character, who rarely appears concerned with the feelings of others. She needs help.

Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Kazan) meet at a mutual friend's party and instantly bond with one another. Chemistry between them is flawless and spontaneous – but she has a boyfriend, which leaves recently heart-broken Wallace in the 'friend-zone'. Containing much witty dialogue, quirky references and probably redefining the entire term awkward – 'What If' seems firm and fresh in style, yet is typically conventional in story, hindering on the exact narrative of Harry Met Sally actually ... Lead star Daniel Radcliffe, seems as if he is still trying to get to grips with genre post HP and distancing himself after trying a mixture of features; Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings, and upcoming horrors; Horns and Frankenstein. Nonetheless, he seems concrete in his first Rom- Com performance and we want to see more. Also interesting to see him play a Brit in an American/Canadian film, rather than putting on an accent like a baffled Hugh Grant we are used to in this Richard Curtis-esqe movie. We see great potential ahead of him and are going to go ahead and call it that Dan' will win an Academy award before 2018 is out. Alongside Radcliffe stars Zoe Kazan in an equally exceptional performance (her best yet), and co-starring upcoming Star Wars actor Adam Driver for even more humour – the film is solid. A film coming from the director of both Goon and Fubur, set our expectations low, but it impressed and entertained by taking and old story and remixing it with an indie feel. 'What If' arrives in UK cinemas on the 20th August 2014.

Okay, this movie was about as believable as Will Farrell playing one of Santa's Elves...in this case Radcliffe is apparently an elf and not much more. This was not that interesting a story and quite easily predictable. When Harry Met Sally upgraded...ah, no...downgraded by quite a bit. Zoe Kazan is cute to a point and the use of Adam Driver and MacKenzie Davis as the deus ex machina was wasted.Yeah, I sat through it, but it was a cloudy day and I watched it over five hours taking breaks to do important things like vacuum and walking the dog...which by the way, with all due respect to my dog, is a more apt description of this movie.

"I will look, if you'll look" -Chantry It's been a long while since i first heard of the this film, it was more than a year ago when it premiered at Toronto. God damn it's been a year and this year's edition is already gone. It's the biggest film festival of the year, of all the pictures that were there i have now seen a massive fifty, which tells a lot about the Festival's quality (since most were good). Though more than done a year ago, the film has only been recently released with a nice warm embrace from critics and audiences. I didn't expect one of the year's best but still hoped it would be a worthy romantic comedy. What If is Directed by Michael Dowse and it stars Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Rafe Spall, Megan Park, Adam Driver, Jemima Rooper and Sarah Gadon. "WHAT IF is the story of medical school dropout Wallace, who's been repeatedly burned by bad relationships. So while everyone around him, including his roommate Allan seems to be finding the perfect partner, Wallace decides to put his love life on hold. It is then that he meets Chantry an animator who lives with her longtime boyfriend Ben. Wallace and Chantry form an instant connection, striking up a close friendship. Still, there is no denying the chemistry between them, leading the pair to wonder, what if the love of your life is actually your best friend?" Well What If does end up being a worthy romantic comedy i guess. This meaning that's entertaining and charming enough to be worth a watch, no questions asked but i don't really know if it can be much more. I did have an overall good time with it, the movie has enough laughs and the stars are quite brilliant too, the thing though is that i felt as though i had already seen it. This is a fine time at the movies but it does feel way too predictable and overly familiar. It makes me sad not to really like this feature because, you know, i actually really wanted to. Mainly because of the two leads who are quite charismatic and have a good on screen chemistry, but also because it's so clear that the film's intentions are good and that made me overlook some flagrant flaws. And the movie has many of those. I'm having a battle within me right now, a battle between my cynical and cold side who thinks (and rightfully so) that this picture is way too familiar and foreseeable and the other side of me who was quite entertained and charmed by these characters and performances. In the end i think i met somewhere in the middle. Because albeit this is always an enjoyable film to be watching, i did get some moments where i couldn't help but to roll my eyes. It's full of clichés and it's a shame. Full of sub-plots (and the premise too) and supporting characters that felt way too conventional and plain. I mean really the supporting characters though amusing, are little more than card board pieces in the movie's screenplay. So yeah the film is basically saved by it's two lead performances from Potter Daniel Radcliffe and Ruby Sparks Zoe Kazan. I really liked both here and i thought they were also good together on screen. Radcliffe plays his characters well, never makes him too weird or annoying, he gets the right tone of his character. Zoe Kazan is just so cute...i mean how could you not like her. Big blue eyes, i had already liked her in the better and more original Ruby Sparks and she once again charms the screen. What If is undeniably a pleasant movie going experience but unfortunately it does fall short from being much more than that. The two lead performances and a screenplay that ha some funny gags in it, elevate a material that's overall not that great and was made with an approach that wasn't really that inventive. Still i had a good time and i would feel a bit guilty giving a negative score to a film that didn't impress but didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth either. Rating:C+