Director: Rick Hays
Writer: Brian DiMuccio, Aran Eisenstat, Rick Hays (Screenplay)
Starring: Fiona Gubelmann, Ben Lawson, Tobin Bell, Keith Powell, Amber Stevens West, Alexandra Davies
Plot: Two people meet just after their previous relationships have imploded, so in an effort to make themselves more appealing, they exaggerate, fib and outright lie, and after they move in together all the deception unravels.
Tagline – No Couple Has Ever Been This Badly in Love!
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Twist on Love
Story: The Way We Weren’t starts as school teacher Charlotte (Gubelmann) breaks up with her non-committal boyfriend ending up in jail. On the other side of the country, Brandon (Lawson) is still struggling to show his commitment with women. When the two decide to take a change on what they look for in partners, Charlotte and Brandon end up meeting, falling in love with their new selves and rush into marriage.
10 Days later, they want a divorce, we flashback to see what happened as the two discover the truth about each other, which is a relationship built in lies, until they can learn to tell each other the truth.
Thoughts on The Way We Weren’t
Characters – Charlotte is a school teacher who has spent 14 years with her boyfriend, who doesn’t have much in common with her, while not being ready to commit. The break up pushes her to take a chance and becoming somebody different which leads her to meet Brandon, she wants to keep certain parts of her past a secret though, including her jail term. Brandon is a womaniser that can’t commit, his business isn’t going well. Out of a newly failed relationship broke, he wants to meet a new woman for a relationship, He lies just like Charlotte being someone he isn’t, only for the truth to bring him the new positive vision of life. Jerry is the father of Brandon, he is part hippie and has been fighting the system for his and his wives relationship. He knows how to help Brandon without telling him everything. Dan is the neighbor and best friend who reluctantly lets Brandon use his car to impress Charlotte, he gets the best reactions to anything happening to his car.
Performances – Fiona Gubelmann and Ben Lawson are both wonderful to watch, both stars get to show the range of the emotions their character are going through, each has their moment to shine too. When it comes to the supporting cast get plenty of laughs through the film.
Story – The story brings us a new look at love, it follows the idea of jumping into marriage to prove how spontaneous people have become only to learn, like if most relationships, not everything is as it seems after the early getting to know each other stage of a relationship. This does show how honest should become more important, but that we can always be afraid of what is in our past being judged. While certain sides to the lies or hidden truths could be considered farfetched ones they come out we get to see just how you can misunderstand somebody who has been working towards something.
Comedy – The comedy through the film will get laughs, be it from learning the truth with a natural reaction or trying to hide it from everybody else.
Settings – The film is set in LA which sees just how far Charlotte will travel for love and to escape the life she once had.
Scene of the Movie – Garden party.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain support characters don’t seem to have their own lives, which is an issue with a lot of comedies.
Final Thoughts – This is a funny comedy about love and just how difficult it can be or everyone, this does bring a new twist on the love story too.
Overall: Funny comedy.
Rating