Newly dumped thirty-somethings Peter and Emma team up to sabotage their exes’ new relationships and win them back for good.
Sporting a varied cast of faces you’ve seen before but maybe can’t remember where comes “I Want You Back.” The story centers on two boyfriend/girlfriend breakups, which hatches a scheme to win their exes back. Charlie Day stars as Peter, whose girlfriend of six years named Anne (Gina Rodriguez) calls it quits at a children’s birthday party. At the same time in another part of town, Noah (Scott Eastwood) breaks up with his girlfriend Emma (Jenny Slate) over his breakfast of steak and eggs at a local restaurant.
Anne’s complaint is that Peter is too stuck in his routines. She wants more adventure out of life and soon finds herself with Logan (Manny Jacinto), an erudite and analytical middle school drama teacher where they both work. Noah, on the other hand, just doesn’t feel the spark with Emma anymore, compounded by the fact that he has been seeing a new girlfriend named Ginny (Clark Backo).
The two jilted lovers, devastated over the split from their significant others, meet by chance in a stairwell of the building where they work on different floors. Peter and Emma console each other in an attempt to regroup and put themselves back together. After a couple of casual outings, they seize upon a plan to insert each other into Noah and Anne’s lives in order to sabotage the new relationships.
Peter insinuates himself into Noah’s life, eventually becoming his best friend along the way. Emma volunteers for Logan’s middle school theater production, immediately putting the moves on Anne’s new boyfriend.
Ostensibly, Peter fares better than Emma in the underhanded dealings when Anne breaks up with Logan and takes him back. Adding insult to injury – Noah proposes marriage to Ginny, leaving Emma out in the cold, all alone.
Weeks or months later, for whatever inexplicable reason, Noah invites Emma to the wedding. The venue is a scenic Savanah river cruise that ensures a captive audience of the entire wedding party and attendees. When Emma decides to attend, things unravel from there, generating some awkward surprises along the way.
With lots of opportunities for humor, the script by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger takes full advantage. Alternating between cute one-liners and relationship pathos, Peter and Emma’s devious plot goes off the rails soon enough, before the not altogether unexpected denouement.
Scheduled for release just before Valentine’s Day, the movie puts on display six experienced comedic actors, all veterans of numerous television and film productions. “I Want You Back” vividly demonstrates why audiences can’t seem to get enough of the always popular rom-com genre.
Exclusively on Amazon Prime Video Friday, February 11th
