Title: Sweethearts
MPA Rating: R
Director: Jordan Weiss
Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Nico Hiraga, Caleb Hearon
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

What It Is: Jamie (Shipka) and Ben (Hiraga) have been friends since childhood. Now in college, they plan to return to their hometown in Ohio—with one goal in mind: breaking up with their high school partners.

For Jamie, that means ending things with quarterback Simon (Charlie Hall), while Ben’s girlfriend, Claire (Ava DeMary), is still a high school senior. With the help of their friend Palmer (Hearon), they devise a plan to free themselves from the shackles of these lingering relationships… or will they?

What We Think: With romantic comedies like this, there’s a certain expectation that you’ll be able to predict everything in the narrative from A to Z. Where this movie succeeds is in subverting those expectations—and it’s refreshing to see.

Shipka and Hiraga have great chemistry, and the journey their characters take is one you might not expect. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It’s funny, heartfelt, and just the kind of film you need toward the end of an awards season that can often feel cold and drawn-out.

Small films like this—even on platforms like Max—are exactly the kind of thing we need from time to time.

Our Grade: B-, Such a breath of fresh air before we dive into the heavy material that comes with year-end Oscar fodder—a light breeze in what’s sure to be a storm of serious, weighty topics.

The goal of this film is simple: it wants you to laugh. It wants you to turn off your brain and just enjoy. And there’s plenty here to love. It’s an easy watch, especially since it’s available on Max, so definitely give it a go.

I’d love to see more films like this being made. Director Jordan Weiss is one to watch. For her feature debut, the Dollface writer made an excellent choice in penning her own script (alongside Dan Brier) and does a fantastic job bringing it all together.

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