Which Brings Me to You

In director Peter Hutchings' pretentious romance flick "Which Brings Me To You" Nat Wolff (terrific actor - wasted here) & Lucy Hale (meh) meet at a wedding where he defers having sex til after they've shared long, competitive accounts of their love-lives (only Keith Bunin knows why (or Steve Almond & Julianna Baggott on whose novel he based this screenplay on)). It gets tedious fast, and ends up dragging excrutiatingly - mainly due to the dislikeableness of the characters, particularly Hale's. Any appeal it could have would rely on maintaining interest in the two leads... who except to themselves (and apparently each other) are not interesting at all. A turd. Flush it away.

Lucy Hale, who I discovered in "The Hating Game", is absolutely lovely...but plays the hot mess Jane in this film. Together with Nat Wolff, who plays Will, they make up the romantic duo which starts as a simple wedding guest hook-up...but quickly and somewhat awkwardly morphs into the potential for more.

These two are well suited for one another, Hale and Wolff, with excellent chemistry. The story is unusual for a romantic comedy, in fact it tells itself rather inside out. We learn about all of their past failed relationships...the why you wouldn't want to be in a relationship with either one, but at some point you start pulling for these two.

I am not going to say this is the most romantic film, but I think young people today might identify with their plight. While not on my recommendation list, I didn't hate it. I enjoy some of the dialogue and the idea of being brutally honest from the start.

Jane (Lucy Hale) and Will (Nat Wolff) are strangers and guests at a wedding. She almost has drunken sex with him before he stops her. They start to talk about their past relationships.

My initial superficial take is that Will needs to be hunkier. It would help especially since his character pulls so many beautiful women. After that initial thought, my next hot take is that this is trying to be Before Sunrise. Again, this would benefit from an Ethan Hawke like actor. The main difference is the many flashbacks. I both like them and have issues with them. I would like Will to have fewer women and concentrate on setting up the final reveal. Juliet should be his first 'girlfriend' story and then the last flashback should be a repeat of the same story with the truth revealed. At the end of the day, I really like the attempt even if it's not completely successful.

The leads met at the wedding and spent the time together talking about their past relationships.

The movie has a heart but it would have worked if they had made the story a little better. Not some of the trash that Netflix pumps regularly. But the story becomes more unbelievable as the time goes on. I can handle some improbable things but it becomes ridiculous if overdone. They spend the whole movie talking with each other. The chemistry between them is somewhat lacking. The movie rests solely on the two leads which makes the chemistry between them everything. This is good for a casual watch. But can't recommend it to anyone who is not a rom-com fanatic.

The bones are there, ready to be reaped of a ghost, yet the spectre is hazy.

I liked the plot. The chemistry was a little lacking, though the more poignant moments showed an abundance-so much so that I suspect some of the writing played a significant role in dampening the spark between the characters.

The characters as individuals and the way they related to each others shortcomings highlighted the best part of the movie. We all suffer the fear of rejection, of being unable and afraid of sharing our most horrendous selves, but the way they connected and sympathised inspires hope.

Ultimately, as a movie, a form of entertainment, it was, unfortunately, subpar. Still, I think it worth viewing.