Many will think it’s appropriate that one of the architects of modern romantic-comedies, Meg Ryan, should take a crack at directing one herself; she even dedicates this directing effort, What Happens Later, “For Nora.” (That's Ephron, When Harry Met Sally screenwriter.)
But the truth about Ryan’s second film behind the camera (her first being the largely unseen Ithaca, from 2015) is that I don’t think it qualifies as a rom-com, despite being about two people who used to be a couple in their 20s running into each other 30-plus years later in a regional airport, waiting for their connections (Connections would have been a better title for this movie, not that anyone asked). There’s a massive snowstorm heading toward this unidentified connecting city (I think it’s meant to be in the Midwest), leaving Bill’s (David Duchovny) flight to Boston and Willa’s (Ryan) flight to Austin in danger of being cancelled until the next morning, giving them many hours to walk around the airport, catch up, explore old feelings, and open old wounds. And that's basically your movie.
Based on the play Shooting Stars by Steven Dietz and adapted by Dietz, Ryan and Kirk Lynn, What Happens Later certainly has its fair share of schmaltzy jokes, playful insults, and a truly annoying running gag in which the voice we hear over the airport’s PA system (provided by Hal Liggett) talks back to our two characters (the only characters in the entire film) at key moments. The reason I question the film’s rom-com credentials is largely because I don’t think this is the story of two people attempting to fall in love, or more to the point, in love again. Bill’s trying to get home to see his teen daughter’s dance recital because missing it might mean the end of her love and trust in him. The purpose of Willa’s trip, at first, seems less urgent, but it turns out to be quite important. But the point is, they are both emotionally vulnerable when they run into each other, and falling in love with each other at this moment would only complicate things. At one point, they even try to get a hotel room together, but the rooms are all taken.
The reunion gives the former loving couple a chance to compare and contrast lives, go through the dreams they once shared, and be reminded why they were once so pulled together, even though she had some vague ideas about sleeping with other people. Naturally, they are also reminded of habits that annoyed the other person, and any time Willa starts to invoke chakras and auras, Bill tunes out. Writer/director Ryan seems far more interested in exploring the reasons this couple didn’t succeed decades earlier than looking for chemistry in the present day (although there is some). Ryan can’t help but be appealing, and Duchovny has charm for miles, but the more time we spend with them, the more we start to notice and examine their flaws. They joke about her shaving a few years off of her age, but then we notice that she walks with a slight limp. It’s not a sign of a bigger medical condition; it’s just an issue that happens to people older than Willa says she is, and suddenly lying about one's age doesn’t seem as funny.
When the film gets cutesy or overly sentimental, it’s easy to tune out. But when the story takes itself and its pain seriously, I was on board to explore exactly what broke this pair up. When the actors don’t treat the material like it’s a comedy and instead allow the humor to be a natural extension of the drama, that’s when What Happens Later thrives. You sometimes have to wait for long stretches for that to happen, but when it does, it’s rather special. This isn’t a great movie by any stretch, but it’s nice to see Ryan back doing her thing while also showing us she’s matured as an actor in ways I wasn’t certain she would.
The film is now playing in theaters.
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