Director: Michael Dowse

Writer: Elan Mastai, T.J. Dawe and Michael Rinaldi‘s play (Toothpaste and Cigars)

Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver, Rafe Spall, Mackenzie Davis

Plot: Upon meeting each other at a party Wallace and Chantry have a connection that maps a complicated path for her relationship.

Review: I often get stuck on levels often in video games where I have to go through all the same motions again and again because though I know what I’m expected to do, I’m too lazy to try to make it work. I should have given up long ago and gone to bed by now but I keep thinking and hoping that suffering through the same roteness is worth it. It often isn’t, but completing that portion I was stuck on most is at least satisfying.

Stubbornly committed to the romcom formula despite years of tired exercise “The F Word” (“What If” in the U.S. due to what the MPAA calls foul implication) calls together a modicum of young talent and places them in the infinite and deplorable romcom genre. You’ve probably seen the actors before and the plot lines countless times and it seemed they might inevitably intersect, but when they do you’re surprised and glad how well they tie together and that it didn’t happen sooner.

Convincingly playing a regular guy and girl who are attractive but not in an obvious so movie star kind of way; Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan bring chemistry to their performances that reach across their 6 year age gap and elevates their on-screen relationship, bringing the casual filmgoer and/or date night couple comfortably resting up with them.

It gets funny after a while too, both with Film and Game. I’ve seen and played through all this stuff before real life and like, yet why didn’t it go as right before? What if the makers of the game I’m stuck on or previous filmmakers in the genre just weren’t trying as hard at this point or having as much fun? Director Michael Dowse seems to enjoy himself: putting stock into landscape shots of Toronto and resting the film on the shoulders of his actors, and its because he’s good at it. This mid-profile project works so much that its forgivable when he follows the formula so much it leads the movie downhill to though a somewhat logical conclusion, very heavy reminder how unrealistic and nonsense the whole repetitive exercise really was/ is.  At least his intentions were earnest. Darn I was absorbed up until that point too and almost had it. Again?