Newly dumped thirty-somethings Peter and Emma team up to sabotage their exes’ new relationships and win them back for good.
Rom-coms making their debut over Valentine’s Day weekend usually have little chance of failure being that everyone loves the idea of love. Amazon Studios, however, doesn’t have much to worry about with the amazing cast that has been put together to show just how far someone will go to recoup a lost love. As the film opens, there is definitely trouble in paradise when two couples break up and neither is amicable. While there have seemingly been red flags all along in both relationships, it appears that only one person in the relationship seems to have noticed. Peter (Charlie Day), who has been dumped by Anne (Gina Rodriguez), and Emma (Jenny Slate) who has been dumped by Noah (Scott Eastwood), both have been accused of not having their lives together at the age of thirty-something and their significant others want to forge ahead with the prospect of getting to a better place in their lives with someone they feel more equally yoked with.
When Charlie and Emma run into each other in a stairwell, they form an immediate bond after sharing stories of how they were dumped. After drying each other’s tears, they initially try to boost each other’s ego by reinforcing the fact that they are still good people with a lot to offer someone. Before long, they decide to go out together and keep each other motivated while they each grieve the loss of their relationships. After a few meetings of the minds, they realize that instead of drowning in their own sorrows, they could partner together and compound their resources in order to help each other get their person back. As the film progresses, Charlie and Emma both have to up their games because Noah is falling deeper for his new love Ginny, and Emma is getting in way over her head as she tries to entice Anne’s new man, Logan (Manny Jacinto), to a threesome. With time moving on, Charlie is racing against the clock because Noah believes he has found his soulmate in Ginny and is preparing to marry her, and Emma is playing a little too close to the cuff as Logan seems to have developed a sincere interest in her. In the end, in the most obvious twist of fate, Charlie and Emma become attracted to one another as they both have spent a lot of time learning about one another and what they really want in life as far as having a partner goes, but they must discern whether being together is the best thing for the both of them in their newly-found identity.
As this is director Jason Orley’s biggest project to date, he does an excellent job of pulling a strong cast together that can truly delve into the spirit of thirty-somethings who have lots of energy and creativity to match. Both Charlie Day and Jenny Slate do an excellent job of carrying the film’s weight while combining humor with frustration in order to carry a heavy storyline while making room for lots of laughter. Kudos also to Scott Eastwood who is seemingly following in his father’s footsteps, as well as the rest of the cast for being able to fit in well with the film’s plot in order to keep the storyline moving in a positive direction. Not only is “I Want You Back” entertaining for all ages, but it has just enough heartfelt humor to tickle your fancy.
Exclusively on Amazon Prime Video Friday, February 11th
