Maybe I Do - Maybe I'm Bored

 

Streaming on Hulu 

For Rent on Amazon, Google Play, Apple TV, and YouTube 

    Movies that explore the untold nature of romantic love, relationships, and marriage can be fascinating and engaging, not to mention side-splittingly funny. Especially when it's an anthology film about multiple (possibly intersecting) relationships with different kinds of conflicts & drama. Films like Playing By Heart, Crazy Stupid Love, and Love Actually successfully tread through the minefield of an all too relatable part of the human condition while delivering tons of insightful & memorable jokes. It is a subgenre of film that, when played right, can become a genuine classic. 

    The latest offering in this subgenre, Maybe I Do, has all the makings and ingredients of a perfect new entry into the club but fails miserably to stick the landing. What could have been a clever and nuanced entry into this hilarious subgenre turns out to be a schmaltzy, amateurish, repetitive affair that is neither clever enough to be engaging nor funny enough to forgive its shortcomings. Sprinkled with occasional profound moments that only delude you into thinking it might get better, only to constantly hit your snooze button. 

    The worst part is that it could have been fixed with different editing, but we'll get to that momentarily. 

    The story follows a young couple who, after a strange incident at one of their friend's wedding, forces the future of their relationship into question. One wants to get married, while the other sees no value in marriage. After a heated discussion, they both retreat to their parents, seeking their advice. After some time, they decide to all have dinner together and finally meet each other's families. Little do they know that there's much more behind the scenes than they might have guessed, as both of their parents have met before under questionable circumstances. As the drama unfolds and secrets are revealed, how will this influence the young couple's future together? 

    Technically, the film is reasonably solid. It has a funny concept with top-notch talent, delivering decently cobbled thoughts about relationships and witty banter. Not to mention clever circumstances calling some of the convictions presented in the film into question. It has the proper makings of fun comedic drama. 

    The biggest problem lies within the misarrangement of events depicted in the film. Because the audience is already privy to the unusual circumstances between these two families (i.e., knowing that the parents of the young couple have met each other before in uncertain romantic poses) so early into the story, it significantly diminishes both their declarations about relationships before the dinner and their comedic encounters during said dinner. Nothing the characters say or do have any real impact because it was all blown within the first act, rendering all the declarations about romance and the awkward reunions unengaging. 

    The solution would have been some judicious re-editing. Had the film been rearranged so the revelation of the parent's previous encounters didn't surface until sometime after the dinner had begun, it would have likely thrown the audience for a loop by adding to the comedic mystery and better calling their convictions about relationships into question. Since we would have known about their underlying connection later in the story, there would have been a more significant impact and better opportunities for tangible comedy. Serious re-editing might have also fixed a few additional problems, but I've already spent more time on this concept than the film probably deserves. 

    Maybe I Do suffers from the same affliction as Disney's Frozen: a story filled with clever ideas about love and relationships peppered with moments of witty characterization, only to be bogged down by less-than-stellar execution and what can only be described as an anti-twist. Had the film received some much-needed adjustments before its January release (which should have been my first clue), it might have come out the other side as a worthy entry into this subgenre of comedy. Instead, it's a veritable dud of a movie prevented from being the worst entry into this particular subgenre solely by virtue of the existence of Movie 43. 

    Watch any of the other movies mentioned at the beginning of this review. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.