Review of Maybe I Do – Impressive Cast, Disappointing Script – Hot

How much can a talented cast elevate an average screenplay? Quite a fair bit, I’d say. When you have the likes of Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and William H. Macy in a rom-com together, things become a little more compelling, even if the ingredients aren’t exactly the best to start with.

Maybe I Do is a film about the impact of time on relationships. Allen (Luke Bracey) and Michelle (Emma Roberts) are at a wedding together, and everything’s going swimmingly until Allen’s friend tells him that Michelle is going for the win in the bouquet toss. As is tradition — though hardly a proven one — whoever catches the bridal bouquet is the next to get married. Allen sees Michelle’s intention and what she sees in their future, so he decides to ruin it. He catches the bouquet instead (not the best plan if he wants to avoid marriage), and Michelle leaves the wedding party feeling hurt and betrayed.

Across town somewhere, Howard (Gere) and Monica (Sarandon) are in a hotel bed together. We initially assume they’re trying to spice up their married life with roleplay, before discovering that they’re cheating on their spouses with each other. At a movie theatre elsewhere, Grace (Keaton) and Sam (H. Macy) bond over their fidelity in their relationships, and wish they were the type of people who could cheat. At this point, the viewer can see all these moving parts and how they connect, so it’s no surprise to us when we discover that Sam and Monica are Allen’s parents, while Howard and Grace are Michelle’s parents.

Having seen very different marriages play out, Allen and Michelle have a very different outlook on marriage. Allen saw his parents’ marriage fall apart in real time, and their constant sniping at each other makes it clear that whatever love that was there is long gone. Michelle has seen that her parents are still madly in love all these years later, and desires the same thing. Allen loves Michelle, but can he give what she wants when there is no certainly to love?

Like I said, it’s the cast that makes Maybe I Do worth watching. Sarandon is hilarious as the fiery Monica, and it’s fun to see her go toe to toe with Gere and H. Macy in such contrasting ways. While it’s easy to understand why Monica and Sam’s relationship fell apart, I wish there was more development for Howard and Grace’s relationship. I understand the intention, to highlight how relationships hit rough patches over time, but a little more insight into Howard’s perspective and maybe a glimpse into the beginnings of the affair would have helped things.

While I love the trend of mature couples appearing at the centre of rom-coms and love stories, all this focus on the older, married couples detracts from Allen and Michelle’s story. The weird thing is, Roberts and Bracey starred in a rom-com together before this movie, and they had tons of chemistry there, but none here. The movie didn’t really give them the space to flesh out their coupledom, which is a shame since we’re meant to root for them to end up together.

Maybe I Do is worth a watch just to see this cast work their magic, but it doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

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