A guy falls in love with a girl, only to discover that she already has a boyfriend — it’s a classic trope of the romantic comedy genre, but it’s played to perfection in the 2013 film “What If.” Incidentally, the film is called “The F Word” pretty much everywhere but in the United States, but the MPAA took issue with the insinuation that “friends,” the “F word” referenced, could appear to mean something different.
The film focuses on Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe), a med-school dropout who hasn’t dated since his girlfriend, a fellow medical student, cheated on him with their professor. However, when he meets Chantry (Zoë Kazan), he thinks things might be turning around just a bit. That’s until he’s faced with Chantry’s handsome, successful boyfriend, Ben (Rafe Spall), who works as an attorney for the United Nations. Still, Wallace and Chantry become extremely close friends, and when Ben has to move from Toronto to Dublin for work, the relationship between Chantry and Ben becomes strained, leading to an unexpected moment between her and Wallace.
Featuring whimsical on-screen animations, a truly believable central couple — Radcliffe and Kazan are seriously charming together — and a supporting cast that includes Adam Driver and Mackenzie Davis, “What If” is a delight from start to finish, even if you’re not in the loving mood. Driver’s line delivery in a scene where he’s eating nachos is, honestly, reason enough to watch the film.
