I Want You Back

Charlie Day and Jenny Slate's chemistry shines in this extremely charming and funny romcom, available on Amazon Prime Video and select theaters.

The romantic comedy had long been a staple at the multiplex, at one point it felt like every other weekend a new romcom starring the likes of names like Jennifer Garner, Reese Witherspoon, or Sandra Bullock would be playing in theaters everywhere. Then all of it sudden, they just vanished and over time less and less romcoms would hit the big-screen.

In reality it was Netflix who truly revived the genre back to its former glory with surprise hits like “Set It Up,” “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” and “Always Be My Maybe” dominating the top 10 charts. There’s still been a couple of breakout films of the genre that proved to be big hits at the box office such as 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians” and 2017’s “The Big Sick,” but on the other hand even star-powered romcoms from the likes of “Long Shot” with Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, suffered financially despite glowing reviews.

Hollywood is still certainly trying to release these films theatrically, just look at the new Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson film “Marry Me,” which releases this weekend (though with a day-and-date release with Peacock) and the Sandra Bullock-Channing Tatum double-header “The Lost City” that releases in late March, but they’re certainly not as common as they used to be.

Streaming seems to be the perfect place for the mid-budget studio comedies and many streamers are trying to follow in Netflix’s footsteps and for Amazon they’re foray into harkening back to the early 2000s to early 2010s studio romcom is “I Want You Back.”

“I Want You Back,” which takes its name from the Jackson 5 classic, opens with Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) being respectively dumped by their significant others, which blindsides them. Emma’s SO Noah (Scott Eastwood) is a fitness guru and gym owner who finds Emma to be directionless and leaves her for the cute pie shop owner Ginny (Clark Backo) across the street from his gym.

Peter’s ex Anne (Gina Rodriquez) is a middle school English teacher who claims that Peter is holding her back from the life of her dreams and forms a relationship with the middle school’s pretentious new drama teacher Logan (Manny Jacinto) who used to be a part of the ‘experimental theatre’ scene in New York City.

Heartbroken and unable to think straight, Peter and Emma wind up bumping into each other in the stairwell of the building they both work in. Peter works for a scummy retirement home business that is more interested in cutting costs at the disadvantage of the senior residents and Emma works as a receptionist at an Orthodontics office. The two form a fast friendship after realizing their respective heartbreaks and spend their days going to Karaoke bars, getting drunk, and going to see old Nicolas Cage action movies at a second-run theater.

They suddenly come to the realization that neither will be truly happy unless their back with their exes and form a plot to get their old flames to break up with their new lovers so they can get back together. Emma will seduce Logan by volunteering for his middle school production of “Little Shop Of Horrors” while Peter will form a friendship with Noah by signing up for his gym.

“I Want You Back” truly feels like a throwback to films like “Friends With Benefits” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” mixing in risqué R-rated humor with an enormous amount of heart and charisma. The film realizes that Peter and Emma’s plan isn’t the morally right thing to do, yet it still manages to really make the audience feel empathy for them and root for them to achieve their happy endings even if their plan fails.

It’s almost entirely predictable from the first scene alone, nonetheless it seems to be aware of that and is more focused on winning the viewer’s empathy and hearts.

Day and Slate have always made impressions with their roles on television and in other comedies, Day is a scene-stealer in shows like “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” and has a decent film career starring in films like “Horrible Bosses,” “Pacific Rim,” and “Fist Fight,” but is usually stuck to play paranoid and neurotic characters.

Slate had a memorable recurring spot on “Parks & Recreation” as the spoiled Mona Lisa, but her film career has mostly consisted of minor roles in studio fare, animated films, and leading indie darlings.

“I Want You Back” gives both of these actors the opportunity to flex their chops by being the faces of a classic mid-budget romcom and it’s a risk that really pays off. Day and Slate have such irresistible chemistry with one another and play off each other extremely well. They play their characters in a way that presents them as very flawed but at the same time deeply human and even relatable. They never feel like caricatures and really sell themselves as great leading stars.

The supporting cast around Day and Slate is equally as charming. Eastwood has never seemed to be given the right roles, but his role here might prove that comedy may be his true calling. Carrying a giant amount of charisma and nailing the classic jock-type role to a tee. After his scene-stealing role as Jason in NBC’s critical darling “The Good Place,” Jacinto proves once again that he’s got a thing for comedic delivery and is responsible for some of the films biggest laughs as the douche-y hipster. Rodriquez and Backo aren’t given as much to do as their co-stars but still are perfectly fine in their roles.

“I Want You Back” does start to feel like it’s overstaying its welcome with a near 2-hour runtime. And there’s several subplots that, while sweet, could’ve been cut to make the pacing flow a bit smoother. Anybody who watches this movie already knows how its going to end and the two hours of build-up may feel tedious to some. Regardless it never loses its entertainment value and with a lot of jokes hitting more than missing, most will have a smile on their face throughout.

“I Want You Back” feels like the perfect movie to watch this Valentine’s Day weekend, not just for those in relationships but also for those who feel hopeless in their love life. The film is relatable at the right moments, funny, and overall extremely sweet.