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For decades, romantic comedies have pondered the age-old question: is it really possible for a man and a woman to be just friends? Despite plenty of real-life examples to the contrary, the cinematic answer is generally a simple yet resounding no. And Daniel Radcliffe once again argues the point in the quirky indie rom-com What If.
What If stars Radcliffe as Wallace, a heart-broken med school dropout who’s convinced that love is the root of all evil. But when he meets eccentric animator Chantry (Zoe Kazan) at a friend’s party, he allows himself to imagine that they could just have a future together—until he discovers that she has a longtime boyfriend.
With a relationship off the table, Wallace insists that he’s perfectly happy with their totally platonic friendship. But, in reality, he continues to pine for her, secretly (and sometimes not-so-secretly) hoping that she’ll eventually choose him over her smart, successful boyfriend, Ben (Rafe Spall).
What If is the kind of chatty indie romance that we’ve seen over and over again in recent years—the kind of movie spawned by the overwhelming success of films like Juno. The characters spend a lot of time sitting around, having kooky conversations about things like Elvis and poop (lots of poop)—and, on rare occasions, serious topics like relationships. At times, it’s cute and clever and adorably quirky—but, more often than not, it’s not quite as clever as it thinks it is.
The story, meanwhile, seems to drag, as Wallace’s crush on his lovably free-spirited best gal pal gradually grows into a full-blown obsession. After a while, even his friends get sick of hearing about it. And, as he continues to fixate on his feelings for Chantry, his equally eccentric friend, Allan (Adam Driver), manages to meet a girl, fall in love, pop the question, and get married—which makes Wallace’s dithering seem all the more drawn out. And when Allan and his wife decide to give Wallace a little shove in the right direction, you’ll thank them for it (as ill-advised as their methods may be).
Of course, there’s still plenty to love here, too. Canadian director Michael Dowse gives the downtown Toronto setting so much personality that it’s sometimes more interesting than the characters themselves. And the stars are irresistibly charming. Both are so adorable, in fact, that you’ll often happily overlook the film’s flaws and simply enjoy their performances.
What If is nothing new. It tells a familiar (and predictable) story—and it does so in the same quirky way that we’ve seen quite frequently in recent years. If you’re looking for a fresh and clever new take on the genre, this isn’t exactly it—but if you just enjoy the playful banter of an indie rom-com, the lovable cast makes this one worth a look.
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