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I Want You Back (film)
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Wikipedia article
'I Want You Back' is a 2022 American romantic comedy film directed by Jason Orley from a screenplay written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. The film stars Charlie Day and Jenny Slate as two recently dumped strangers who team up to sabotage the new relationships of their exes (Gina Rodriguez and Scott Eastwood). Manny Jacinto, Clark Backo, and Mason Gooding also star.
It was digitally released on February 11, 2022, by Amazon Studios. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot
In Atlanta, thirty-somethings Peter and Emma are each dumped by their respective romantic partners: Peter's girlfriend Anne feels stifled by the complacency of their six-year relationship, and Emma's boyfriend Noah is discouraged by her lack of responsibility. Peter and Emma are both heartbroken, but after a chance meeting they become friends and try to help one another navigate their breakups. Emma confides in Peter that she considered Noah her "airplane safety mask person": the person she loved so much that she'd put on his emergency airplane oxygen mask before her own, which Peter dismisses as a silly thing to ever do. One desperate night, Emma and Peter devise a strategy to win back their exes by breaking up their new relationships: Emma will seduce Anne's new boyfriend Logan, and Peter plans to befriend Noah to convince him to breakup with his new girlfriend Ginny.
Peter gets Noah to be his personal trainer, while Emma volunteers for Logan's middle school production of 'Little Shop of Horrors'. Peter and Emma also grow closer; he reveals his dream of opening his own nursing home and she admits her lack of ambition is due to her father's terminal illness. Peter and Noah bond, while Emma successfully impresses Logan by pretending to share his love of theatre, stunning him with a passionate performance of "Suddenly, Seymour". She also helps a troubled student, Trevor, by providing him with guidance for navigating his father's extramarital affair.
After visiting a nightclub together, Peter convinces Noah to go home and take MDMA with three girls, only to learn the girls are minors. After fleeing, Noah tells Peter he is going to propose to Ginny, to Peter's dismay. Peter breaks into Ginny and Noah's to plant fake evidence of Noah's infidelity but can't do it, and instead witnesses Noah's heartfelt proposal. Meanwhile, Emma manages to talk an eager Logan and a hesitant Anne into attempting a threesome, but Anne ultimately expresses her discomfort and leaves, having decided she wants to get back with Peter. Reconvening, Peter tells Emma of Noah's engagement and, because he is resuming his relationship with Anne, remorsefully cuts contact with Emma, who is left heartbroken.
Unbeknownst to either of them, Peter and Emma are both invited to Noah's wedding in Savannah and they bring Anne and Logan as their dates. As Peter and Emma awkwardly reconnect, she reveals that she has moved out and is studying to become a school counselor. An embarrassing encounter ensues between all, and Peter realizes Anne never believed in him, while Emma did, leading him to confess his love for her in front of everyone. Emma reveals they conspired to break up each other's new partners, but does not reciprocate feelings for Peter. Anne and Logan break up with Peter and Emma while Ginny demands they leave the wedding and Noah punches Peter. At a hotel the following morning, Peter and Anne reconcile and agree they aren't meant to be together. Emma apologizes to Noah, finally realizing they were not compatible. Peter and Emma take the same flight home, when heavy turbulence causes the oxygen masks to fall, and Peter rushes out of his seat to help Emma put her mask on first before his. As the turbulence subsides, Emma and Peter smile at one another.
Cast
* Charlie Day as Peter
* Jenny Slate as Emma
* Scott Eastwood as Noah
* Gina Rodriguez as Anne
* Manny Jacinto as Logan
* Clark Backo as Ginny
* Luke David Blumm as Trevor
* Giselle Torres as Chloe
* Isabel May as Leighton
* Quinn Cooke as Taylor
* Pete Davidson as Jase
* Jami Gertz as Rita
* Dylan Gelula as Lisa
* Mason Gooding as Paul
* Jordan Carlos as Mark
* Ben McKenzie as Leighton's Dad
Production
In February 2021, Jenny Slate and Charlie Day were confirmed as starring in 'I Want You Back', a romantic comedy to be released through Amazon Studios. Jason Orley was also announced as director and that he would adapt a screenplay written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. Charlie Day, Adam Londy and Bart Lipton executive produce for The Safran Company and The Walk-Up Company. Principal photography began in March 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. On April 16, 2021 it was announced that the 'Savannah Regional Film Commission' said extras were needed for four days of filming in Savannah on April 27 through the 30th. Other locations include Publico restaurant and the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, and Decatur Square in Decatur.
Release
'I Want You Back' was released on February 11, 2022.
Critical response
On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".Michael Phillips of 'Chicago Tribune' gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and wrote, "'I Want You Back' reminds us of the value of rom-coms with actual com, not to mention performers on the order of Charlie Day and Jenny Slate.
References
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