Review
I Want You Back (Comedy, Romance) (2022)
Director: Jason Orley
Writer: Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger
Stars: Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Scott Eastwood, Gina Rodriguez
Recently dumped, Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) meet and team up to sabotage their exes’ new relationships, giving them the chance to rekindle their lost love.
With his previous comedy project ‘’Big Time Adolescence’’ featuring Pete Davidson under his belt Jason Orley tries his hand at his second feature film in ‘’I Want You Back’’ adapting the screenplay by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. Primarily filmed in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, the film has been produced by The Walk-Up Company and The Safran Company while distributed by streaming service Amazon Prime Video.
Headed by the comedic Charlie Day and Jenny Slate ‘’I Want You Back’’ gives us a fresh idea in the rom-com world. As it opens with their characters being dumped and, along the way, giving them the horrible idea of breaking their exes up; terrible in a socially acceptable kind of way. Initial presumptions of where the script would be going are perhaps overly-obvious, yet the writers have attempted to throw multiple curveballs in your way to avoid this possible conclusion.
While some internet critics like me might not be the target audience for your typical romcom, I’ve got to admit actually being into this film from reasonably early on, knowing Charlie Day primarily from ‘’It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’’ and ’’Fist Fight’’ it was fitting to see him cast alongside co-star Jenny Slate. As mentioned, it feels notably different and less tacky than your general rom-com; the two stars feel to have great acting chemistry between them, and the flow of the script guides them along successfully.
As if ‘’I Want You Back’’ hadn’t already hooked me, it introduced some surprising cameo’s along the way, including but not only Pete Davidson, who had previous experience with Orley. Helping the script along are moments of variation in scenes while the overlying plans of Day’s Peter and Slate’s Emma, comedy is at the forefront in most of the film, keeping it quirky and unique. Despite some corny clichés only to be expected for such a film, I never really minded them, apart from perhaps the over-delivered final moment.
Especially for those burnt-out on romcoms to watch with their overly-insistent partners, I think you’re in for an excellent time seeing ‘’I Want You Back’’ featuring actors both people in the relationship will be hyped up to appear on the screen.
Verdict
Unexpectedly I do want this movie back and watch it again.
7,5
