Newly dumped thirty-somethings Peter and Emma team up to sabotage their exes’ new relationships and win them back for good.
Chuck says:
It’s Valentine’s Day which means you can’t swing a sack of potatoes over your head without hitting a rom com. Amazon Prime took a preemptive strike with last week’s tepid “Book of Love,” the sort of entry that gives the genre a bad name The streamer gives it another shot with “I Want You Back,” which follows its formula to a tee. Yep, there’s a pair who don’t realize they belong together until a great deal of confusion, misunderstandings and shenanigans take place. And while it does manage to be a bit too familiar at times, it’s saved by its solid cast and a rather smart script
Jenny Slate and Charlie Day are Emma and Peter, the couple-to-be. They’ve been dumped by their significant others – Noah (Scott Eastwood) and Anne (Gina Rodriguez) respectively – who have each moved on with new partners. Wouldn’t you know it, they happen to work in the same office building, precipitating a meet-cute that occurs in the stairwell of their workplace. Both distraught, they share their troubles with one another and, because they’re both suddenly lonely, they decide to meet up for dinner…which leads to their going to a movie…that follows with a date for drinks, where they hatch a nefarious plan.
They decide to sabotage the relationships their exes are in, the end goal being that they return to them to heal their broken hearts. Noah happens to be a personal trainer, so Peter signs up for some fitness classes. Before you know it, not only has he lost a few pounds and is a bit more toned, he meets Ginny (Clark Backo), who runs a local pie shop. Beautiful, smart and ambitious, it’s easy to see why Noah is smitten with her. Meanwhile, Emma ingratiates herself into Anne’s world by volunteering to help out with the school play where she teaches, which just happens to be directed by her new love, Logan (Manny Jacinto). A suggestive look here, a slinky dress there and soon the drama teacher is paying more attention to her than his new partner.
The premise isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds, the script by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger never becoming too outlandish, maintaining a sense of logic that’s plausible. They’re also wise enough not to paint Noah or Anne in a negative light. Their reasons for wanting to start anew with someone else are perfectly understandable, becoming moreso as we get more familiar with Peter and Emma. None of the characters, Ginny and Logan included, are unlikable, they simply possess the same flaws we all have where relationships and our own self-image is concerned. Who of us haven’t been tempted by the greener grass on the other side of the fence at times?
Slate and Day are very good here, making sure not to allow Emma and Peter to become too grating, never allowing them to turn into whiney sad sacks who we don’t want to be around. The surprise here is Eastwood, who proves quite adept with this lighthearted material, suggesting he should seek out more projects like this, instead of starring in yet another B-grade action film.
The movie slightly overstays its welcome but not to the point of tedium, which is a huge plus in this age of bloated entertainment, while a subplot involving Emma and a middle-schooler, she gives advice to does the movie no favors. Still “Back,” while not necessarily a keeper, is better than most movies of this ilk. If nothing better comes along, consider it your fallback film choice this Valentine’s Day.
2 1/2 Stars
