What If asks a basic question if a friendship between a boy and a girl could lead their relationship to something romantic. It isn't an idea that we haven't heard before, of course, but for some reason the movie does feel a lot fresh. It offers one thing that we don't always see in a romantic film lately: an ultimately likable on screen couple. They may not be a typical stale supermodel looking pair, the uniqueness it highlights to these characters are their personalities and their problems. It may not make their personal situations any complex, but it still is a memorable little romcom that shines through its humor and performances.
The film is best when it only settles with its two leads starting to build their connection into friendship until it gets serious. What makes this love story so genuine is their conversations as friends pouring out their honest views toward something, like love or their lives. Following its central plot would make the clichés visible, but by just looking through the world of these characters is what helps it show its own color. It also sells well when they reveal each of their issues, it sometimes takes them as one of its jokes, but whenever it gets compellingly heavy, it usually resolve those situations too easy. It's probably because it wanted to focus more on its sweetness, but it does still deserve some depth at the unthinkable fate of the "friendzone".
The depth is instead placed on the actors. There is an undeniable charm to be found in Daniel Radcliffe, even though his character is struck with a cynical side personality and Zoe Kazan brings much of the soul to the connection of every person her character jumps right into. Both of them spark a strangely admirable chemistry that makes the witty screen writing sound more lively. It just embraces the awkwardness of their desires. The direction makes it real simple, though it does pull off a little hipster-y animation when it shows their abstract feelings, but most of the time it just let it linger at the very meaningful moments.
The most important thing What If needs is gumption at portraying how doomed the both are from ending up with each other, but it still is a worth a watch for its often delightful environment. Its strongest appeal is just the two stars tagging you along in their world of an uncertain luck. Not sure what kind of people would leave the theater having sudden thoughts of word magnets and art-driven animation, or nachos and Fool's Gold Loaf, but to be sure this film has its distinction as a romantic comedy. Overall, it's all pretty nice.
