When We First Met (2018) [Movie Review]


Dir: Ari Sandel
Starring: Adam DeVine, Alexandra Daddario, Shelley Hennig, Robbie Amell and Andrew Bachelor
Dur: 1 hr 37 mins
Genre: Comedy-Romance
PG: A good number of kisses, mild use of expletives and one reference to male genitalia.
Rating: 7/10

There was something about this film that attracted me. The trailer was pretty seductive; but it kind of gave the whole plot away. 20 minutes in to the film, I had predicted the outcome. Yes, the film is predictable but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the power to tug at heart strings.  

Avery (Alexandra Daddario) is about to be engaged to Ethan (Robbie Amell), a handsome, debonair guy while Noah (Adam DeVine), who has a huge crush on Avery looks on. Things get out of hand when Noah takes glass and later bottle in hand. Just when things seem to be at their lowest, he is driven away by Avery's pal, Carrie (Shelley Hennig) and left in the company of his buddy, Max (Andrew Bachelor). In a drunken state, Noah stumbles down memory lane to the night he first met Avery and ends up in the same photo booth the two of them shared on their first ‘date’ together. He wishes for a second chance to win her heart and lo and behold, he gets it (because obviously, the photo booth has magical powers). Full of confidence he sets out to win Avery’s heart but fails. This happens a couple of times but surprisingly fails to get boring (unlike Source Code which gave me a headache). With each reversal of time, Noah learns something about himself, his relationship with Avery and about messing up the timeline. Finally, he comes to the realization that what he really wanted was right in front of him all along but he had missed it. This is perhaps the most satisfying moment of the entire film. The realization that what you dream is good for you might not turn out to be so. It might do more harm than good as Noah learns the hard way.

Don’t let the films predictability deter you from an enriching cinematic experience that inspires you to reflect on your dreams, relationships and idea of love. I think the film beautifully explains that one musn’t get lost fulfilling one’s own dreams and fantasies without regard for the dreams, aspirations and needs of others, rather one must be open to discovering one’s destiny or as we would like to say, God’s will, in the daily events of life.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2sJNee7FQ4

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