The pandemic year(s) are memories I’m making now that I plan on forgetting in the future. Yes, there have been significant personal moments for which I am grateful, however, I’d rather not think about Covid ever again. So, the thought of watching a movie and reliving the beginning of the shut down really made me cringe at first. However, it was funny to relive the initial paranoia we all had to live with and the silly measures we took “just in case”, like washing our food and wearing rubber gloves everywhere, even in the house. From air hugs to eating salads in your separate cars in the parking lot, this silly reenactment of the pandemic amidst an aniti-rom-com is actually enjoyable somehow.
Similar to ‘500 Days of Summer’ their journey is chronicled by old memories and the will-they-wont-they get back together ebb and flow. A washed-up couple, Nick and Leah, who decide to break up a day before quarantine is announced, leaving them with the impossible choice of living together after they separated romantically. The premise was innately funny and certainly allowed for lots of awkward encounters. Without the stellar editing, this movie might have been a bit tedious with the endless amount of bits about how awkward it is to live with an ex.
There are two types of people during quarantine; those who looked at it like an opportunity and those who experienced Covid life like the sky was falling. Regardless, we have all learned to relax more, make time for the important things, and we don’t have to take life so seriously all the time. These lessons and more were definitely learned by our protagonists as they floated in and out of their dysfunctional relationship, either domestic or romantic.
I am sure lots of couples must have similarly suffered through weird and uncomfortable breakups and heartaches causing new rifts and reopening old ones. I can’t imagine being locked down with someone I didn’t want to be in a relationship with anymore, but it seems like a special kind of hell.
The comedic timing provided by the editor(s) was perfection. The cast was fresh faced with the only standout being the leading man, Ben Coleman (Nick). With some revisions, I can see this movie being picked up by the distribution company (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) that doesn’t win the big ticket Covid rom-com, ‘Language Lessons’ (review on its way).
