‘Which Brings Me to You’: Rom-com About High Body Count
Many romantic relationships today face the challenges presented by the exceptionally high “body-count.” “Which Brings Me to You” suggests a charming solution.
“Which Brings Me to You,” based on the novel of the same name by Julianna Baggott and Steve Almond, is a romcom tailor-made for the Millennial, Z, and Alpha generations.
One of the biggest problems young people are facing today in terms of romantic relationships is that what used to be referred to as “skeletons in the closet” has proliferated to the point where it’s now called the “body-count.”
Not to get esoteric about it, but the healing communities are currently talking about being very careful about sleeping around, because the human body is an incredibly sensitive instrument that can pick up and store the energies of various partners. Even if men and woman manage to avoid the narcissists and the bad boys or bad girls, one accumulates energetic baggage regardless, and it has a way of ultimately circling back around and interfering with relationships.
Jane (Lucy Hale, center, in red) attends a friend's wedding, in "Which Brings Me to You." (Decal Releasing)
“Which Brings Me to You” doesn’t moralize about the fact that both potential romantic partners have a high body-count. It uses this state of affairs as a springboard into a prolonged day of spending time examining each of their past relationship, er, corpses, together, as a means to finding true love.
It’s actually quite a cute romcom. A dramedy for sure, but the exploration of how the past informs who we become, with some comedy thrown in, works because its two leads have a very sweet charisma and make their respective life-messes feel inevitable and relatable.
Will (Nat Wolff, center, in blue suit and tie) attends a friend's wedding, in "Which Brings Me to You." (Decal Releasing)
At a wedding neither wanted to attend, Jane (Lucy Hale) and Will (Nat Wolff), having never met before and after some low-level flirtation, almost have an impulse-hookup in the coat-closet. Will, in a moment that’s bewildering even to himself, puts the brakes on before things get out of hand and suggests they get to know each other first, by sharing everything about their pasts.
After Jane initially flounces off, due to “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” Will chases Jane down and tries to explain himself—and the talking begins. And never stops. Just like Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in Richard Linklater’s most excellent “Before Sunrise.” Both reveal all of their past romantic mistakes, misdeeds, mishaps, missed opportunities, and various and sundry manner of messes.
Wallace (John Gallagher Jr.) and Jane (Lucy Hale) begin a troubled relationship, in "Which Brings Me to You." (Decal Releasing)
Their day-long exploration is heartfelt and believable, although the movie skims over the reasons behind their respective high body-counts. It works largely because both protagonists not only seem like two people for whom this would be a logical way to approach a romance, but also because both are equally charming, funny, messy, and have a believable chemistry that allows us to invest in the idea that they’ve possibly found their forever person.
The Stories
The recounting of their stories are the movie’s highlight, which employs the artifice of going back in time while having either Jane or Will hanging out in the middle of each other’s flashbacks, offering running commentaries on the proceedings.
Will (Nat Wolff) and Jane (Lucy Hale) talk all day, in many locations, in "Which Brings Me to You." (Decal Releasing)
“Which Brings Me to You” isn’t the first movie to attempt this premise, but the last one that did was “Before Sunrise.” Which makes this one a new “Before Sunrise” with noticeably more sex, more mess, significantly less-philosophical conversations, but it’s almost as equally charming as that classic. As specified at the outset, it’s a Gen-Alpha “Before Sunrise.”
It’s also proof that a couple of charismatic actors with great chemistry can almost always make a movie work. This is Hale’s juiciest role to date, Wolff has great comedic timing, and the chemistry crackles.
Internet dating, like time itself speeding up, has infinitely sped up the romantic process, and what used to take many months, or even years, can appear to be achieved in an hour. But, while it is possible to open yourself up to someone in the short space of a single day, and there are certainly pros—usually it’s mostly cons. Much like Romeo and Juliet jumping the gun.
Will (Nat Wolff) and Jane (Lucy Hale) realize they've stumbled upon something very special, in "Which Brings Me to You." (Decal Releasing)
And so while the connection can be arrived at quickly, the actual healing of traumas that cause us to be attracted to toxicities that reflect our own (codependency, narcissism, and all the various emotional trauma states wafting virulently about the interwebs) is a much trickier thing. It requires time and therapy and can’t be rushed.
And so a romcom that suggests that by finding the perfectly baggaged significant other, a couple can heal each other is wishful thinking. But we don’t go to the movies for realism. We go for the magic. “Which Brings Me to You” is pleasantly and surprisingly magical.
“Which Brings Me to You” is in theaters now.
‘Which Brings Me to You’
Director: Peter Hutchings
Starring: Lucy Hale, Nat Wolff, John Gallagher Jr., Ward Horton, Avery Cole
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Release Date: Jan. 19, 2024
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Mark Jackson is the chief film critic for The Epoch Times. In addition to the world’s number-one storytelling vehicle—film, he enjoys martial arts, weightlifting, Harley-Davidsons, vision questing, rock-climbing, qigong, oil painting, and human rights activism. Mark earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by a classical theater training, and has 20 years’ experience as a New York professional actor, working in theater, commercials, and television daytime dramas. He recently narrated the Epoch Times audiobook “How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World,” which is available on iTunes and Audible. Mr. Jackson is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
