The Way You Look Tonight

I caught this at a film festival and am so excited that it's finally available to the general public. In addition to a well thought-out story, its an impressive acting feat from the members of the cast who were able to so convincingly play the same character. The leading actor did a fantastic job of maintaining chemistry with the rest of the cast. It was at times funny, heartbreaking, and moving. Highly recommend.

This film has a bit of a slow-burn start - there's a meet-cute at the top and everything is going well for our lead, but then the girl he was connecting so well with disappears the next day. What follows is a bit unconventional - there's a bit of a mystery element as Peter goes on a new dating site and keeps finding women who are acting strangely towards him and wearing very similar clothing - and there's hinting of a connection to that first girl, but the "twist" comes in about a third into the movie. It's hard to talk about what makes this movie cool without ruining the surprise - but I think the slow burn mystery, while a little cumbersome at times, is worth sticking out. I'll just say there is a bit of a fantasy component that comes in, which is used in some interesting ways to talk about issues of identity and gender and a lot of other things. Overall, I think this is a smartly executed film that demands more from you that the typical rom com.

It's not perfect: The script is a bit weak and there are dull moments but something made me stick around. I think it was mostly the lead and some of the other supporting actors who were impressive even for relatively unknown actors. I also really appreciated how the writer approached the concept. I was a bit weary that it was going to be an interesting idea fleshed out in an uninteresting way but it was interesting.

I nearly gave up on this film in the first half hour, but lead actor Nick Fink kept me interested. For a newcomer, he has immense chemistry with the camera and believable delivery.

The script is flawed in that it has natural humor, but has a sitcom smirk. The two go together like honey and motor oil. All of the bones are here for a spectacular TV series, if handled mindfully and steered away from gags.

The parallels with people in so many life situations who do not conform to expectations is right there. Examine the human experience in those varying situations and the scripts write themselves.

This was a valiant effort and there are some promising talents in the extensive cast.

Production note: this is a film where photos with the names in the end credits seem crucial.

This film is on the verge of being fantastic, but it never quite gets there.

It's not because of the cast, Why Nick Finck isn't a huge star is beyond me, he is amazing on camera and just feels like a natural. Overall, every cast member is stellar.

The film takes a little too long to get going, the first 30 minutes seem to drag. Then the story is revealed and the film gets interesting. The slow start is made even weirder by the ending, which seems quite abrupt and provides little closure to the story arc. With a bit more budget and some better writing, this would have been a 10/10 film. As it is, it is still very much with a watch.