by Srinidhi Alladi, I B.Com (Accounting and Finance)
I had decided to take this month’s Stellaiedoscope theme literally and consider things like, what if dogs named us like we named them? Or what if grass was sentient, and we had to mow the lawn? However, while we were discussing things on the group, my motherly friend Riya asked if anyone had seen the movie What If.
In addition to being almost every kind of fangirl, I also happen to be a connoisseur of rom-coms, (if you will), and so I decided to review the movie instead. There’s just something about rom-coms that tugs at a person’s heartstrings and at the same time is quite infuriating. Is it the unrealistically good-looking cast? The cliché plot line? Regardless, we’re sitting at home on a Friday night, in pajamas, wondering when our knight (note: gender unspecified) in shining armor will indulge our rom-com fantasy.
What If is the pinnacle of cute, peak softness – from the meet-cute to the end. The protagonists Wallace and Chantry, a med student and an animator (told you it was cute) meet at a party when they’re rearranging refrigerator magnets to make odd sayings, and then again at a revival showing of a classic movie, The Princess Bride. They have a lot of similar interests, they are both disgusted by weird food, but fascinated by Elvis’s obsession with ‘Fool’s Gold’ (a very large peanut butter and jelly sandwich that is also stuffed with bacon, smothered in butter and baked).
Still, this is a rom-com. It follows the cliché plot line we discussed earlier. Wallace and Chantry deny their feelings for each other and try to remain friends (emphasis on “try”). It’s understandable, though. Chantry already has a long term live-in boyfriend, Ben; Wallace definitely doesn’t want to be the jerk to split them up. Besides, Wallace gives up on love when his girlfriend cheats on him. However, after Ben accepts a job that requires him to relocate to Dublin, Wallace and Chantry spend more and more time together, slowly starting to realize that them being just friends was something that was never going to work out. Why, you may ask? The chemistry between them is just too electric to deny. Plus, Ben acts like a total fool, further straining his and Chantry’s relationship.
Between all of this, there’s so much drama – Wallace’s best friend gets married, Chantry's sister tries to come onto Wallace, there’s a particularly hilarious disaster involving water bodies (and that’s all I have to say on that.)
Finally, a break-up and a trip across the world later, Wallace finally musters the courage to tell Chantry how he really feels. What happens next? You'll have to find out by watching the movie. It’s worth the pajamas, popcorn and possible tears.