This is the classic struggle that a lot of college students go through in their first year of College. Do you hold on to your high school girlfriend or boyfriend? Do you try the “long-distance relationship”? Or do you start looking for someone new at your college? In Ben’s case (Nico Hiraga) and Jamie’s Case (Kiernan Shipka) The are high school friends who dated different people, Claire (Ava DeMary) who’s living in high school and Simon (Charlie Hall) who got admitted into Harvard through Football of all things. Whoever Ben and Jamie Try to date tend to support them and even while in a long distance relationship which tends to be hard the supportive feeling is there.
Matt busy football calendar coupled with Jamie’s efforts as “long distance couple” means that there were many awkward moments especially where Claire wanted mid-day updates and if he went out without phone trying to call him over the class, where only one time it was done and security had to go look for him on campus due. The pair and their best friend Palmer (Caleb Hearon) decide to throw away their dates before Thanksgiving Dinner to go with their original plan, but then again this is a romantic comedy the plan could go any other way than what was planned.
The feature film debut of Jordan Weiss “Sweethearts” while it shows hints of promise was mostly disappointing and lacked a sense of unity.
Ben’s and Jamie’s relationship turns hostile which raises an interesting question; how did these characters manage to be friends for so long. Ben is a pushover whose girlfriend and roommate both get their way with him and Hiraga portrays him as a socially awkward person trying to do his best in the eyes of the gander. In comparison, Shipka seems to be a little out of place due to her character, who is a hard headed girl, who is sick of college by half way through the first semester. Her acting does not seem to fit with that of her co-star and this contributes in making the film inconsistent.
Dan Brier and Weiss, who worked together in writing the story, made Ben and Jamie, with aims of them being relatable to the scenes in “Sweet Hearts” although it does not seem to blend in naturally. In “Jamie’s” case, Claire who acts as Jamie’s girlfriend seems to be a portrayal from a nightmare, due to how one-dimensional she is. It is clear that these characters should not be with each other, but the movie tries to merge in comedic situations alongside a homecoming event which results in some of them working better than others.
Back in Jamie’s house, she get stuck while attempting to send Simon an enticing selfie, which in turns thrusts us into what reminds me too much of an Apatow comedy skit-funny, but not quite appropriate for said context. Later Jamie has an interaction with her former best friend who was her bully, when being apart from the latter results in a cathartic experience, the outcome is satisfying and is quick to leave.
Although Ben and Jamie were seemingly supported by Palmer a gay friend who took a year off after high school to work in euro Disneyland, none of them seemed too interested in discussing the time a small town can possess. Palmer, for example, is initially camera shy, and thinks that if he wore skirts all the time people would think he was a Parisian the typical gay friend in a rom com, but Palmer also works with women on a mission to convince young men they need to leave small towns for the sake of big cities. There is something quite touching about Ben’s portrait: Palmer never really became close to the local gay scene he now realizes was always there, and he does not care for Paris all that much. The episode where the ex-football coach of Palmer’s school (Tramell Tillman) and Palmer’s firefighter partner (Joel Kim Booster) all depict what going through a messy heterosexual romance feels like.
While “Sweethearts” can feel like a grab bag of rom com leftovers, it has its share of tender moments tucked between arguments and goofy situations.
The combination of factors that led to Ben and Jamie’s complex situation is brilliantly presented at the start through their stop motion animated sequence, and the movie does a commendable job at ensuring Ben and Jamie practice a proactive approach by not romanticizing their problems and breaks into upbeat energy with an equally lively soundtrack. All said and done, these characters will learn from their teenage selves and evolve. It certainly has its share of twists and turns I won’t give it away but it’s one of the more modern takes to the Ending of a rom-com that I have seen in a while; but like all good rom-coms, this isn’t without its satisfying parts either, particularly that ‘twist’ at the end. A similar theme can be found in many holiday romance classics, so one could argue that the movie does cater to that audience in many ways, however, it is unlike to cement itself into that genre, but it pays respects and stays true to many classics of the past.
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