By Cammie Breuer, Arts and Culture Editor
Will Gluck, director of Friends With Benefits and Easy A, brings us another romantic comedy, this one inspired by William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The very attractive romantic leads were portrayed by Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. Sweeney is probably best known for her role as Cassie on Euphoria. Normally, she has taken smaller movie roles, like in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Big Time Adolescence, but now she seems to be landing larger roles on the big screen, with Madame Web set to be released this week. Powell caught everyone’s attention in Top Gun: Maverick, but he was also in the 2018 romcom Set It Up. The hilarious ensemble cast included names such as Alexandra Shipp, Darren Barnet and Dermot Mulroney. And as an English major, I was intrigued to see the newest cheesy rom-com based on a Shakespeare play.
When Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell) met, it was instant chemistry, but after a misunderstanding, the pair never speak again. That is until Bea’s sister marries Ben’s family friend, and they find themselves trapped at the small destination wedding together. After realizing the misunderstanding, and seeing how perfect they are together, Ben’s friends and Bea’s sister set up a ruse to attempt to rekindle the pair’s flame. All the while, Bea’s parents attempt to get her back with her ex-fiance (Barnet). Among the other guests is– and to add another layer of complication– Ben’s ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. In order to convince Bea’s parents that she’s moved on, and to make Ben’s ex jealous, the pair hatch a plan to pretend to date to make the people they love happy, and survive the wedding. Through a wild series of twists and turns, including a hilarious duet to Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten, the couple is reminded of why they were initially attracted to each other in the first place; but it takes a grand romantic gesture to try and get back the girl.
Funny, albeit cheesy, I can say that this movie definitely had its moments. Though it is too soon to tell, I don’t believe that this adaptation will be remembered the same way as the classics like 10 Things I Hate About You or She’s The Man. It is almost in a league of its own with the characters being long graduated high school. That being said, the setting of the destination wedding gave that same sense of forced proximity that high school would, in a way that felt natural. It was really great to see Sweeney play a character that is close to her real age, and with Powell being nine years older, it made for some good jokes. The chemistry between the two was clearly there, even when they “hated” each other. Though it is not the main focal point, the subplot of Bea’s sister marrying another woman (Shipp), and them trying to navigate their special day like any other couple, was a nice addition. It’s not a huge loss if you missed this movie in theaters; this fun, light watch will be available to stream on Netflix this April and it could be worth adding to your binge list.