Review of When We First Met (2018) by Vixey P — 04 Sep 2018

Strengths: Two names in the cast stood out to me when I first read about this movie. Adam DeVine (Noah Ashby) and Shelley Hennig (Carrie Grey). Both have been good in most of what I've seen them in and they were the highlights here. Though Noah isn't an entirely likable character, there's a charm that DeVine brings to the role. Hennig looks like she's having fun and plays well off DeVine, giving them strong chemistry. Alexandra Daddario (Avery Martin) and Robbie Amell (Ethan) were both fine in their roles. I appreciated the twist on the typical romantic comedy layout near the end of this one.

Weaknesses: Despite there being a small change in the plot format late, most of this film follows all too familiar stuff. The Groundhog Day format has kind of become a staple. Click is an example of the format and parts of this felt too much like that, considering our protagonist wakes up years after his decision to see the consequences. Most were meant for comedic moments, yet only provided a handful of laughs and nothing more. While the Hennig/DeVine chemistry is strong, there's not really enough of them on screen together to pick up the film. Instead, we spend a bit too much time with DeVine and Daddario, who don't click nearly as well.

Overall: You won't feel like you've wasted your time, as this is harmless fun. However, it doesn't do quite enough to distinguish itself in the crowded field of romantic comedies. There's not enough between the two characters who work best together and it keeps this from being memorable.