TF:
Twenty-five years on from When Harry Met Sally, that old chestnut – can men and women be pals without sex getting in the way? – gets another roasting in a Toronto-set romcom that practically screams “Like me!” at the top of its lungs. That we do owes less to whatever freshness Michael Dowse (Goon) brings to this well-worn scenario than to the likeability of its leads.
DanRad’s been making all kinds of films of late (The Woman In Black, Kill Your Darlings, the upcoming Frankenstein) that appear expressly calibrated to distance him from Harry Potter. What If represents perhaps the most audacious step away to date, in that Daniel effectively plays himself: a diffident, twentysomething chatterbox with an abundance of charm that serves to offset a nagging sense of insecurity. Small wonder the role of Wallace – a medical school drop-out who you will always find in the kitchen at parties – fits him so snugly. (He even gets thumped in the face in one scene, something that should placate any Potter-phobes hitherto immune to his persona.)
Yes, there are some cloying moments: the cutesy animations used to bridge scenes, for example, or the fridge word magnets that bring Dan and Zoe together. Then again, What If isn’t all that dissimilar from that corny conversation starter. It’s clichéd, sure. But it also springs a few surprises.
Previously known as The F Word, What If is a winning diversion that punches well above its weight thanks to two well-cast leads and a terrific supporting turn from Driver.
With the new The Crow remake coming soon, we take a look back at the 30-year-old cult classic original–and where the stars are now.
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