Review: When We First Met (2018)
Written by: Brian J. Sumner
Admittedly, on the Dude, What?! Movie Review Podcast, out of the two hosts, I would have to say I am more in tune with and more of a fan of the Romantic Comedy (RomCom) genre than Jim Miller would ever admit to. My co-host’s sordid history with love and romance throughout the years has been well documented on our show (Check out our first Valentine’s Day special entitled Discreet for more hilarious context on this subject) and so it’s no wonder that RomComs just don’t exactly land with him as well as they do with me. So naturally, when I first watched the trailer for When We First Met, I was very excited indeed.
The Official Netflix Trailer
Let’s talk about that trailer for a second. So often when films are made that aren’t considered “big budget theater releases,” the trailers seem a little inadequate in getting a potential viewer hyped up to watch the product. More times than not, a film that may be rather decent in story gets overlooked due to terrible marketing with respect to its trailer. So for someone like me, a solid trailer that does a great job of pitching the story of a “smaller” film is paramount in capturing my attention. The team behind When We First Met did a great job of peaking my interest for this movie.
The story follows Noah, played by Adam DeVine (most notable for Workaholics on Comedy Central and the Pitch Perfect franchise) as he recounts his long-standing crush with his friend Avery, portrayed by Alexandra Daddario (Baywatch and True Detective). After getting incredibly drunk at the engagement party for Avery with her now fiancé, Ethan, Noah starts to spill his heart to their friend Carrie about how HE should have been the one to end up with Avery three years prior instead of Ethan, but he blew it by waiting too long and ending up in the dreaded “Friend Zone!” After knocking back way too many drinks at the very Jazz bar he took Avery to when they first met, Noah decides to wallow away in his misery in the same photo booth that he and Avery had gotten pictures taken in three years prior and through some mystical forces of the love universe, after his pictures are taken, Noah wakes up in his bed, three years in the past, with the knowledge of his love path that layeth before him. Confused yet?
Now I know what you’re thinking....
I thought you said this was a RomCom? This sounds more like SciFiCom....
Trust me, that is the extent of the sci-fi element. From that point forward, it becomes a hilarious and endearing journey for Noah as he bumbles around trying to create the perfect timeline of love that will bring he and the woman of his dreams together. There are elements of Back to the Future and Groundhog Day mixed in together with regard to altering timelines and having to live with those decisions but then having it all flipped on itself and getting to do it all over again with alternative decision making on Noah’s part. A film like this with a story plot so rooted in such a sci-fi realm could easily become convoluted and muddled with regard to actually being able to follow the story, but the writing was so clean and so straightforward you never get lost along the way. Adam DeVine did such a good job of not going way over the top with his character, which could have easily been overacted due to some of the silliness within the story, but because he didn’t overact the part, the themes and points that could be deemed silly actually came out rather nice and typical behavior for that character. Alexandra Daddario came across as sweet and very likable with her character and the chemistry between the two was a breath of fresh air on the screen.
When We First Met, ©2018 Netflix, Inc.
The cinematography was great and very clean and the film was accompanied by an outstanding soundtrack. However, if I had to point to one thing about this film that really gave it that extra boost to put it over the top for me, it was the way they chose to bring the movie full circle and close out the story. It was so not a typical romantic comedy ending and it could have very well been done as a typical RomCom finish but the writers went against uniformity and came up with something so much better and so much more enjoyable. If you really get down to the nuts and bolts of how the story concludes, it’s true insight into what we as people feel about our individual pasts as we look back through lenses of regret and what we do with the lives we have. I found it truly remarkable to see a romantic comedy do something like that with it’s writing and for that I applaud them.
I know Romantic Comedies aren’t for most people, but I would definitely give When We First Met a chance because the storytelling is so good and the characters are not only believable, but so damn relatable as well. I can’t compliment it enough.
Brian J. Sumner is the Host of Dude, What?!, author of The Secrets of Dr. Killiecrankie and puts the antic in Romantic Comedy.
