Which Brings Me to You

Grade: B

Whenever I get a new significant relationship in my life, I always wish there was a magic way to have my history uploaded into their brains. Instead of telling them stories and getting them caught up over a long period of time, the new girlfriend/therapist/friend/what-have-you could just stick a flash drive into their head, push a button, and after 30 seconds – boom! They know me, and everything that’s happened up until then. Most of Which Brings Me to You is two people talking, and updating each other on what’s been going on with them. We see their various backstories via flashbacks.

The movie opens with Will (Alex Wolff’s brother Nat Wolff) showing up late to a wedding, just in time to surreptitiously join the line outside the doors of the chapel to see the bride and groom off. Will and Jane (Lucy Hale from Pretty Little Liars), another guest, set their sights on each other and get to talking. On a whim and a few drinks, they almost hook up in the coat closet, but decide not to for the moment. They spend the rest of the day exchanging stories about their past loves. You could call it a better version of What Happens Later.

I was afraid the flashbacks would be overwhelming to keep up with, but each one is significant and rich with meaning. Hale, in particular, raises the pitch of her voice a little bit to “young” it up. It’s effective without being annoying. Don’t look at it as a rom-com. Another critic mentioned that he didn’t find it funny. Yeah, I don’t remember laughing either, but I didn’t think that was the point. Treat it like a character study, and if you find humor along the way, then more power to you.

The third act has your usual fight, so they can reconcile at the end. I like the way the final scene is handled, and what’s said, and who is talked about. What I appreciate most about Which Brings Me to You is that there’s no expectation or grandiose commitment to being together forever. They are just thinking about it one step at a time – but by the end, I got to like them enough to hope they are in it for the long haul.

Grade: B