What If? (also known as The F Word) is a romantic comedy directed by Michael Dowse and stars Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, as two young adults Wallace and Chantry (what a name by the way) who bump into each other at a house party and they form an instant connection, striking a close relationship. Wallace is a very sad, seemingly lonely character who has been deeply hurt by his past relationships and his life seems to have no direction. Chantry on the other side of the coin has a very settle life. She has a job as an animator that she loves and lives with her long term boyfriend Ben (Rafe Spall). The film explores the idea that if it is possible that your best friend is actually the person you really love and how that affects your relationships with other people.
Now I'll admit that I'm not the number one fan of rom-coms. I'm just more of a mans man wanting to immerse myself into big action scenes and heroic battle speeches, not investing into mushy, sappy horrible dialogue that makes me want to spew my guts out onto the cinema floor. Thankfully this is not the case for What If? It's actually not too bad. Daniel Radcliffe has tried to distance himself away as far as possible from anything remotely like Harry Potter. He's picked different, more versatile roles and I like that. It shows how much of an acting talent he really is. The way he plays the character of Wallace is very natural, down to earth and very likable. You feel sympathetic for his character throughout the film and you understand why he makes certain decisions because of the constant battle with his feelings for Chantry. A very controlled performance. The same can be said for Zoe Kazan. She and Radcliffe have solid chemistry and the witty dialogue completes a very engaging on screen couple. Cute may not be the greatest adjective in the world but I can't think of another word that reflects their relationship. The film did make me laugh with a few random morbid jokes (because I'm such a child) so the film tries its best keeps you entertained whilst trying to throw in the romantic loveliness at the same time.
The film does however fall under the same rom-com cliches that you've seen multiple times before and that at times takes the comedy out of the film. It's a very paint by numbers story which is uninspiring and a little boring. It's very predictable, even if you're not a rom com fan. A number of scenes felt very stretched especially in the second act of the film, which dragged for far too long and didn't offer anything new to the story nor develop the characters further. The film ideally should have been 20mins shorter and for what the film offered in terms of the story would have been the right run time. As result you're waiting an age for the conclusion, which again is cute but very blubbery. If you're a female or romantic male you'll love the ending but sadly I didn't.
What If? is a perfectly fine film with great chemistry between the lead characters and a solid script but it follows a formulaic, uninteresting story which we've seen done before numerous times. It's a good film for couples, I'd recommend it for you because it'll be a fun night out at the cinema and you'll appreciate it more than I did.
6/10
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