I Want You Back – A Refreshingly Authentic Romantic Comedy

There’s no denying we live in an era starved for mainstream romantic comedies. Most of them these days are made for almost nothing, get dumped onto streaming services, and come and go with little to no fanfare. In many ways, a film like I Want You Back would feel right at home in the mid 2010s, what with its indie-friendly stars, quirky yet relatable characters and situation-heavy plot

I Want You Back follows Peter (Day) and Emma (Slate), two people who have recently been dumped by their significant others, Anne (Rodriguez) and Noah (Eastwood), respectively. After a chance meeting that leads to a messy bar karaoke session, the two form a plan to sabotage the new relationships of their exes and as a result, some feelings begin to develop between them.

It can often be hard to pick one’s self back up after being dumped. No matter one’s emotional state, the memories of their now-ended relationship are surely still fresh in their minds as it can feel impossible to escape that past. I Want You Back takes the sort of approach to post-breakup angst that feels semi-real but also heightened, primed for those classic life moments. Its two leads are likable and well-suited for these neurotic messy characters at the center of the film. Both Peter and Emma are somewhat directionless in life, in their mid-thirties, and neither satisfactory for their partners. The film is smart for immersing viewers into their personalities and understanding that when it comes to relationships, there is no one size that fits all, and that some personalities aren’t compatible. But it’s also allowed to have a lot of modern wit and sensibility without feeling forced or overly precious.

Slate and Day have great chemistry with each other, and as strangers finding a bond over something simple that turns into something greater, they are completely convincing. Their chemistry works in great part because their characters match up well with their respective personas, with Emma living with two college students at 32 and Peter being more of a homebody to the dissatisfaction of his more adventurous former girlfriend. It’s hard to consider it that huge stretch for either actor but that doesn’t really matter when they anchor the film so effectively.

I Want You Back also has an array of colorful supporting characters to spare, from the said exes in question and their conflicting personalities to a troubled teen boy with issues at home whom Emma helps with advice, the movie feels like more than just two people at the forefront, aware of a surrounding community. Meanwhile, Emma’s love of musical theater is particularly touching.

That being said, the film does fall back on some common tropes like a group of men accidentally hooking up with underage girls, not knowing of their true age, and having to flee from authority, and some aspects of Emma’s personality are played for broad jokes at times but at the end of the day, it’s easy to forgive those when a film is more than the sum of its parts, and in this case of I Want You Back, that rings true.

In the end, I Want You Back feels like a throwback in some ways with a refreshing authenticity to it, featuring people in situations that feel like something any normal person would face. It will definitely leave viewers yearning for their glory years.

still courtesy of Amazon Studios

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Gabe Guarin

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