The Way We Weren’t is a 2019 romantic comedy about two people who exaggerate, fib and outright lie about themselves, until it falls apart when they move in.
Love ain’t easy in the modern world. Heck, in any world. But in the digital age, where most of us put our every waking moment online, finding the right person can be a real challenge because whose knows what is real and what’s not? Such is the setting for director Rick Hays‘ chipper rom-com The Way We Weren’t, a sort of PG-rated sex comedy with a heart. While it might not break any molds and isn’t all that hard to see where it’s going, is pleasant enough in doing what it promises.
In Clarksburg, West Virginia, Charlotte (Fiona Gubelmann) is having a bit of a crisis. Her boyfriend (Alan Simpson) of fourteen years has dumped her, calling her boring. Her reaction? Toss water in his face … while he’s standing on the edge of a cliff. Naturally, he falls. A month later, after serving 30-days in jail for her assault and battery, she’s looking to make a change. Meanwhile, out in Culver City, California, Brandon (Ben Lawson), is also losing his girlfriend after catching her in bed with another man, she complaining that he’s a cheapskate. Not long after, Charlotte and Brandon meet online and soon decide to meet, but neither knows that everything they’ve been telling each other is a complete lie, hoping to make themselves more appealing. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?
As a gimmick, this would seem one with weak legs, a 3-minute sketch at best, yet somehow writer Brian DiMuccio‘s screenplay is surprisingly hefty where seemingly one-off jokes have genuine longevity. The idea is that all the things they claim true about themselves while dating (briefly) come back to haunt them once they get serious. And then, well, thin cracks soon gap to canyons and it’s not long before they’re in real trouble.
Narrated by Cloe Tichelli, playing an actress on a hit Swedish detective television show, which will make sense while you watch this, it’s only one small part of the lunacy The Way We Weren’t embraces in telling the story of Charlotte and Brandon. Sure, there’s a lot we’ve seen before, with mis-matched/perfectly-matched couples practically a genre all their own, but fresh writing and a couple of energetic performances save the day. Lawson is charming and believable as an unsteady young man on the cusp of making a change while Gubelmann is effortlessly on point, funny and authentic. Throw in Tobin Bell and Alexandra Davies as Brandon’s eccentric parents and there’s plenty here to entertain.
While there’s no deep corners with The Way We Weren’t and Hays isn’t after a challenge, it’s sturdier than it has a right to be, propped up by an earnest story and a fun cast. It plays up its racy sex a bit much but keeps it strangely family-friendly (sort of) and tends to slip off its tracks a few times along the way, especially in it’s peculiar third act at a garden party involving pharmaceuticals and a unicorn. You’ll see what I mean. Either way, you won’t for a moment be surprised by its ending, and nor would you want to be. Delightfully satisfying, The Way We Weren’t is an easy recommendation.