Which Brings Me to You
January 18th, 2024
MOVIE: WHICH BRINGS ME TO YOU
STARRING: NAT WOLFF, LUCY HALE, JOHN GALLAGHER JR.
DIRECTED BY: PETER HUTCHINGS
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 STARS (Out of 4)
The romantic side of me wanted to click with Which Brings Me to You. A romantic comedy, following two people that connect at a wedding, and reminisce together about past relationships. At this point in my 39 years of existence and constant movie watching, a movie like this sadly fails to make an impact, especially when the narrative goes exactly how you predicted. Director Peter Hutchings assembles a sweet couple to spend time with but Which Brings Me to You offers little romance or laughter to take a trip down lovers lane.
The leads are Jane (Lucy Hale) and Will (Nat Wolff), two people attending a wedding, both noticing one another as the bride and groom exit the church. They approach one another, order drinks and dive right into conversation, almost as if the script tells them to meet. It’s from here where the wedding seems to be an afterthought, where the two hook up in a coat closet, and then proceed to converse about their past lovers. What follows is a standard reflection on love had and lost, with little emotion or humanity, making it glossy without honesty.
With three writers, Steve Almond, Julianna Baggott, and Keith Bunin, Which Brings Me to You feels like a sequence of events pasted together. The style is going for a new take on movies such as Definitely, Maybe, or When Harry Met Sally, but can’t capture a single real moment. Hale and Wolff are charming and attractive, and each new relationship is as easy as a handshake. Jane meets her new professor (played by John Gallagher Jr.) and then they’re dating. Will meets Audrey (Britne Oldford) at a bar, she’s a singer, and now they’re in a relationship. If love was this easy then how are we supposed to believe these two have it so hard? That’s why we don’t.
At a runtime of one hour and thirty-eight minutes, it’s even more shocking how boring the story moves along, where the direction from Hutchings tries nifty storytelling tricks like having characters reflect like A Christmas Carol. What becomes more problematic is how predictable it ultimately becomes, where the standard rom-com tropes are the only inevitable conclusions that Hutchings and company could come up with. If you’re worried they won’t end up together then I have a boat to sell you as well.
Which Brings Me to You ultimately fails at both the romantic and the comedic parts of the rom-com. Hale and Wolff are not molded to be funny enough and all attempts of sexual attraction are painfully calculated. Credit is due for the two actors diving into it with an open heart but instead, we can see that the genre is in desperate need of a reset. I want to believe in love again but it’s hard when it’s assembled like a shiny new toy. Which Brings Me to You is just a plastic heart.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO YOU IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS FRIDAY JANUARY 19TH, 2024.
2 STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
leo@amovieguy.com
