Sweethearts is an American romantic comedy set to be released in 2024, which examines young adulthood, friendships, and the challenges that accompany growing up. The film is directed by Jordan Weiss in her feature directorial debut. This movie brings a different perspective on the well known rom-com story by depicting the strong relationship between two college freshmen as they try to grapple with the daunting task of maintaining their romantic relationships with their highschool sweethearts, which is an already tough long distance relationship.
The film follows Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) and Ben (Nico Hiraga), best friends since eighth grade, who struggle to manage their long-distance relationships during their first semester in college. Jamie’s boyfriend Simon (Charlie Hall) is a football player at Harvard. His busy schedule makes it impossible for him to engage in their relationship, which leads Jamie to make super awkward late night phone calls where they cannot seem to connect on anything. On the other hand, Ben is dating Claire (Ava DeMary), a senior in high school who, like Jamie, tends to over call and even resort to wellness checks when her calls are not returned. These types of behaviors are incredibly stressful considering the amount of stress Ben is already under from trying to balance college life.
As Thanksgiving rolls in, Jamie and Ben make a vow to breakup with their high school partners during the holiday break, a plan lightly dubbed, ‘Turkey Dump’. They think of this as a way to reinvent themselves and dive into the wonders of college life free of the burden that is strained long-distance relationships. Their friend Palmer (Caleb Hearon) who is also planning a coming out party during the break has in some way endorsed their decision, further adding to the story that deals with the notion of selfhood and acceptance.
Through the lens of Jamie and Ben, viewers go through a crazy night out in their hometown with the duo getting themselves into messy situations much to their friends’ displeasure. They deal with troublesome exes, emotional pasts, old friends, and all the other things that may test the bonds of friendship. Within this chaos, they also grapple with the reality of their romantic feelings towards one another and the emerging conclusion that there’s a thin line between love and friendship.
Cast & Crew:
Kiernan Shipka as Jamie: As Jamie, Shipka masterfully balances fragility with strength, portraying a young woman at the threshold of her past and future. Shipka, who is recognized for her work in Mad Men and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, evokes sympathy towards the character of Jamie, enabling the audience to relate with Jamie during the phases of change in her life.
Nico Hiraga as Ben: Hiraga makes Ben easygoing and sincere, just the way a college freshman should be as he tries to adapt to the new environment. Shipka’s close rapport with him makes their friendship believable, and serves as one of the highlights of the film.
Caleb Hearon as Palmer: Hearon steals the show as Palmer, whose subplot about coming out in a small town is highly underrepresented. His journey facilitates self-acceptance which most individuals can appreciate as a side story that is equally touching as the main plot.
Ava DeMary as Claire: With exceptional ease, DeMary steps in the shoes of the demanding girlfriend who showcases a cocktail of insecurities and undue dependence, thereby creating problems for Ben. Her performance causes a deeper examination of young love and its complications at different levels of life.
CHARLIE HALL AS A SIMON: Hall aptly plays the role of Simon, the distant boyfriend, portraying the struggle between personal goals and relationship responsibilities. He helps Jamie see the reality of what she truly wants and needs.
DIRECTOR & WRITERS
Jordan Weiss (Director and Co-Writer): Weiss, previously known for the Hulu series “Dollface” makes her feature film directorial debut with “Sweethearts” where she tries her hand at rom-coms for the first time. In “Sweethearts,” Weiss joins Dan Brier in crafting a screenplay that captures the essence of Millennials and younger Gen Z in a humorous yet real way.
Dan Brier (Co-Writer): Brier works together with Weiss to create a script that does not shy away from being brutally honest and candid about the reality of young adult life while still being wrapped in laughter. The outcome captures the essence of the current day and age while being timeless in nature.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Erik Feig & Jessica Switch (Producers): As picturestart producers, Feig and Switch bring their character-driven approach to the storytelling of ‘Sweethearts.’ Their expertise guarantees the film will be produced in a manner that effectively meets the audience’s expectations while addressing the film’s thematic objectives.
Andrew Wehde (Cinematography): Wehde’s work beautifully blends the images of the college setting and the nostalgic hometown, creating visual elements that accentuate the emotional aspects of the story.
Kayla M. Emter & Mark Sadlek (Editing): The editing pair maintains an attention-grabbing pace, skillfully meshing the film’s comedic aspects with its period of self-reflection and ensuring that both sections are neither overstayed nor rushed.
Jonathan Sadoff (Music): Sadoff tailored the score for the film’s themes, accentuating the characters’ emotional journeys with contemporary pieces and his own compositions, which helped round out the film’s tone.
Thematic Focus & Analysis:
Sweethearts dives into a number of topics that resonate with the audience:
Transition & Growth: The film showcases how difficult the steps from youthful childhood to reluctant adulthood can be, stressing on the challenges related to moving on from the comfort of the known.
Friendship Vs Romance: The film challenges the audience to think about the nature of deep and often intimate emotional connections, with the potential for them to transcend beyond love and friendship when boundaries are crossed.
Self-Discovery: The narrative of Palmer coming-out, together with the self-realizations from the main characters emphasizes the value of honesty and self-understanding, thus provoking thoughts around the significance of genuine self-discovery.
Humor & Heart: Sweethearts is a charming yet bittersweet coming of age story, one laced with light hearted humor and heartfelt moments all blended together to create a reflective tale on the challenges surrounding young adulthood.
Reception Overview:
Critics and audiences had mixed feelings about the Sweethearts film. Based on 26 reviews, the movie has an approval rating of 62% on Rotten Tomatoes which indicates a favorable reaction, in contrast to the audience score that is lower, suggesting a more split reception among viewers.
RogerEbert.com’s Monica Castillo was moderate with her review describing it as charming, yet uneven in her overall impression. She did note the genuine chemistry between Shipka and Hiraga, but remarked that some of the comedy was not well placed and did not serve the film’s consistency.
The guardian drew their attention to the more modern take on romcoms by this film, and compared it to classics like ‘When Harry Met Sally’ in her review. The reviewer praised the acting with particular mention of Caleb Hearon’s performance as Palmer, while also expressing appreciation towards the use of humor and the serious issues the film tackled.
Audience reception was mixed with many enjoying the viewpoint on the transformation of college life and relationships, while others descried the film as shallow and lacking in depth. The side story about Palmer’s coming out was noted as particularly impressive and sincere, adding depth to the narrative and capturing the audience in the process.
Conclusion: Sweethearts is a new contribution to the romantic comedy tradition and brings new insight into the challenges of young adulthood. Its depiction of friendship, love, and self-exploration has a powerful impact on those experiencing such transitions. It does not change the genre, but still…
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