★★★
A pair of childhood friends end up falling for each other when they grow up.
Classification: 12
With the strong chemistry between stars Ali Wong and Randall Park, Always Be My Maybe takes predictable story beats and rom-com clichés and gives them a breath of fresh air. While there are moments where the film seems to flounder in the middle, director Nahnatchka Khan delivers an enjoyable love story about grief, celebrity and connections. Comedy comes from both expected and unexpected places with surprisingly emotional moments that strengthen the foundation of the story.
Wong and Park’s characters are presented with flaws, that neither success or failure makes you a perfect person. The humour initially comes from the class difference but quickly the story showcases the characters' similarities, their connection to one another and how both of their socio-economic statuses can create barriers between people. Always Be My Maybe highlights the strangeness of celebrity, the exclusive nature and isolation both outward and inward and the film uses this to establish tension between the characters. From this, it allows both Wong and Park’s characters to voice their frustration with each other and helps them forge new connections with each other.
Performance is what makes Always Be My Maybe shine, Ali Wong especially who balances vulnerability, comedy and tenacity into her delightful performance as Sasha. Park as Marcus serves as an excellent scene partner and foil as the pathetic nature of the character is both simultaneously sympathetic and aggravating. Like Sasha, the audience wants Marcus to be better and stop making excuses for his self-sabotage, his relationship with Sasha helps him come to terms with his lifestyle and vice versa. Khan never makes the relationship between the two feel like a sacrifice for the other, they both help each other see their true potential.
While Wong and Park are the focal points, the supporting cast has its strengths with Michelle Buteau as Veronica and James Saiko as Harry Kim. Saiko especially as like with last year’s Crazy Rich Asians, Always Be My Maybe takes time to present Asian-American culture and how both Sasha and Marcus had different experiences with their families and how those experiences separated and changed them. Fitting into the themes of authenticity as Sasha’s seems to crave acceptance she didn’t get from her family from the celebrity world by styling her career and accomplishments to their standards.
Enjoyable from start to finish, Always Be My Maybe may take the more predictable routes with its story but its larger thematic messaging makes it a worthwhile watch. Seeing these characters help each other and become better because of it has a good emotional payoff. Plus Keanu Reeves shows up in a such a bizarre hilarious cameo that shows the creativity of Khan and her team playing with the rom-com playbook.
Director: #NahnatchkaKhan
Release Date: May 31st 2019
Available exclusively on Netflix.
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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