Look Both Ways

First off,, for those of you complaining that this was a rip-off of Sliding doors, well the trivia on IMBD even brings up that this movie was supposed to be similar to it. They aren't denying it.

Anyway..

It was worth the watch and I really did like most of the movie, but it kind of fell a little short for me.

I think there may have been a little too much story to tell and capture for just a movie.

I found her life in LA to be a little boring and I really wanted more of her and the father's relationship in Texas , their relationship started off strong and I was really looking forward to seeing their journey, but since the point of this movie was to show " what could have been", I feel like as the audience we didn't get the opportunity to get sucked into either of the stories.

I still enjoyed the movie, but something about it left me a little unsatisfied. The relationships just weren't strong enough for me.

Imagine a Hallmark Christmas movie where instead of the girl having to choose between Small Town Guy and Big City Guy (and always choosing the former), we get parallel and fairly balanced stories with both, except with no Christmas and a pregnancy (scare?). That's pretty much what this movie is.

I really like Lili Reinhart. She's charming and expressive and quite a good actress. The movie wouldn't work with someone less likable in the lead role. Her character, Natalie, does have some less than admirable moments, but then so does everybody. In that sense it's realistic.

Unfortunately much of the film is quite unrealistic. In both situations things run too smoothly with only a few minor bumps that get resolved with little more than a hiccup. The housing is too nice, the stress not stressful enough, the people too supportive and steady, and the child more than a little too easy after the early baby stage. Some sleepless nights and one explosive poop situation? That's nothing.

That said, I didn't watch this movie for something realistic. I knew it would soften the blows and it did. Which is fine. I really enjoyed seeing Luke Wilson as Natalie's father. I liked the Austin setting. I loved her wardrobe. The animation sequences are brief but sweet and creative. It's a warm-hearted, fairly light story about heavy subjects, and that's fine. Overall, I would say I liked Austin Natalie better than LA Natalie, but then I live in Texas and love Austin.

If you have teen daughters, remind them that this isn't reality. The movies seldom are.

I am so happy that this movie was able to portray that no matter your life decisions you will still go through very hard times and very good times.

It shows us that comparing to other "lives" that we could have is not really about what we missed but knowing that each path will have fun surprises and hard trials.

Very very happy about this movie!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this film, but it doesn't wow, either. The performances from all of the cast are solid.

So, it's a reworking of the "alternate timeline" story, the best-known version of this is the 1998 movie, Sliding Doors. My advice, watch Sliding Doors instead. They even copied some of the more nuanced aspects of the trope from Sliding Doors. It feels almost like a Hallmark Movie in parts, with very simple storytelling and obvious direction. You never really engage with the characters or care about the outcomes (even though you know the outcome because you know the cinematic trope). There are no twists and turns.

It's a really easy way to kill a couple of hours, but it's not going to be one I want to watch again and again.

As I say, there is nothing wrong with the film, throw it on for an easy watch, but it feels like it could have been much, much more.

This film sits somewhere between a 6 and a 7 for me.

It's a light-hearted rom-com with some good performances from Lili Reinhart, Danny Ramirez and Luke Wilson in particular.

The stakes are a little low in both sides of this Sliding Doors-esque story in which one version of Natalie has a baby and one doesn't, so it never really feels like there's a lot of jeopardy for the main character regardless of her choice. But I do appreciate that neither side is painted as the 'wrong' or 'negative' choice, and that each story has a different love interest.

Far from groundbreaking, but some comfortable fluff I'd probably watch again.