REVIEW: Sweethearts Is Too Sleepy Of An Anti Rom-Com For A Post Thanksgiving Watch
MAX is set to premiere their new original film, Sweethearts, tomorrow, November 28, just in time for Thanksgiving. Considered an anti romantic comedy, the movie follows two best friends, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) and Ben (Nico Miraga), who are enjoying their first semester of college, or at least they think they are enjoying it. As Thanksgiving break approaches, the pair realizes that their first semester hasn’t been at all what it should have been. The pair should have been out partying, making new friends, and enjoying their independence, but instead the pair find themselves home every evening, waiting on the things they didn’t leave behind upon high school graduations, their significant others. When the realization sets in, Ben and Jamie realize that Thanksgiving break is their chance to break things off with their significant others and begin actually living their college lives.
Directed by first time director, Jordan Weiss, and written by Weiss and Dan Brier, Sweethearts felt too low energy for what was promoted as an over-the-top comedy. There were no real laugh out loud moments or the chaos one would expect when two friends are trying to breakup with their significant others. Ben and Jamie’s story never gets the true flesh out it deserved, and those “comedic” moments thrown throughout, felt entirely too forced. Nothing felt natural or seamless. The jokes all felt a bit too flat, and none of the performances provided the comedic energy needed to leave any scene memorable. It all felt too safe. Though Palmer (Caleb Hearon), the pair’s best friend, has his own heartwarming story, that should have been the main focus of the film.
Shipka and Miraga are such a joy in this film that it is a shame they weren’t given more to do. They are both extremely talented actors, especially when it comes to comedic roles, so it’s a shame neither of them are given a chance to truly showcase those chops. Hearon is excellent as the pair’s best friend, Palmer. In the brief scenes he shares with Shipka and Miraga, he brings a much needed fun warmth to the scenes. His character is extremly charasmatic, and could have been the heart of the film. It’s disappointing that his story doesn’t overlap more often with the pair’s story because that could have provided the film with the added energy it was sorely lacking.
It’s nice to see another film not fall into the typical romantic comedy tropes. And it’s also nice to see a film centered around theThanksgiving Holiday. But Sweethearts will not be a movie people rewatch ever year. With flat jokes and low risk stakes, there aren’t enough memorable scenes to leave a lasting impression. If you are going to check out this movie this weekend, I suggest not watching this one on a stomach full of turkey, or you may not make it to the end.