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Everything about the romantic comedy “What If” is cute. Utterly cute. Undeniably cute. Uber–duber cute.

The way our protagonists, Wallace and Chantry, meet at a party by both rearranging fridge-magnet words into strange sayings. The way they meet again after both decide to go solo to same revival screening of “The Princess Bride,” an artifact of vintage cute. The way they obsessively bond over the nastiness of fried pickles and how Elvis enjoyed gorging on a monster peanut butter-jelly-and-bacon-stuffed concoction known as Fool’s Gold.

Did we mention that she is an animator–could there be a cuter job to have in this day and age? And that director Michael Dowse oh-so-cleverly allows Chantry’s doodle of a sad-faced girl with butterfly wings to occasionally flutter across the screen and into the next scene? Must be an artisanal statement or maybe a New Millennium answer to Mickey Mouse. 

In fact, these kids are so cute, they might as well be called Wallace and Gromit.

What isn’t so cute is the way the pair insist on torturing themselves by denying their feelings and agreeing to just be friends. On the surface, the reasons behind their decision make sense: She has a long-term, live-in boyfriend and he doesn’t want to be the kind of jerk who breaks up a relationship. Plus, ever since his doctor-in-training girlfriend cheated on him and caused him to become a medical-school dropout, Wallace’s motto has been, “Love is stupid.” 

But, as Woody Allen once so famously declared: “The heart wants what the heart wants.” A simple shared viewing of “When Harry Met Sally …”  instead of “ The Princess Bride ” (both Rob Reiner-directed classics) could have saved everyone a whole lot of trouble, including the audience.

Then again, we wouldn’t have had the chance to witness Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan as they practically will “What If” into seeming much better than what it really is—a glorified sitcom, with outbreaks of awkward slapstick complete with bodily injuries, in the mode of TV’s “New Girl” with its constant riff-happy repartee but three times as long.

Although, I did learn a new sexual term for hand job. Ho job. As in, “I gave him a ho-job for Christmas.”

What does work is the connection between Radcliffe and Kazan. They are so adorable with their mutual big-eye stares and doll-size stature, they put koala bears to shame. But as noted onscreen, their personalities are way too much alike to be meant for each other in the classic sense. In fact, someone makes a joke that Wallace’s name should really be “Mantry”—the male version of Chantry. They might be better suited as playmates than lovers, but even koala bears experience sexual attraction.

Matters start off well as the opening shots reveal we are not in that rom-com romper room known as Manhattan but in Toronto—playing itself for a change in all its new-old aesthetic glory. But once Wallace and Chantry’s attraction becomes obvious to everyone in their lives but them, the plot strains to continue to put barriers between them.

I have another problem with "What If." Namely, being subjected to Harry Potter’s naked butt during a crucial night-time skinny-dipping excursion shared by him and Kazan. I know that Radcliffe has more than earned the right to have a successful career as an adult after dutifully serving as the real-life incarnation of everyone’s favorite boy wizard for 10 years and eight movies.

I would have loved to have seen him dancing and singing on Broadway in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” But I don’t think I could have withstood his pants-free performances both onstage in “ Equus ” and on film as beat poet Allen Ginsberg in “ Kill Your Darlings .”  Even if his backside exposure happens on a beach bathed in moonlight, as it does here, it is a difficult transition to make—at least for this viewer.

Not that I didn’t enjoy most of Radcliffe’s fully clothed efforts in “What If.” However, the person in the cast who did get on my nerves was Adam Driver of TV’s “Girls” as Allan, Wallace’s more carnally assertive best friend. It’s a role that should be right in the striking-looking, Emmy-nominated actor’s narcissistic wheelhouse and then some. But someone made the terrible choice of having Allan chew his nails and then casually drop the bitten pieces hither and yon all over a jewelry store. It was so distracting, I barely could focus on his purpose for being there.

Then again, few but Driver could properly deliver this line while oozing post-coital satisfaction: “I just had sex and I am going to have nachos.”

Surprisingly enough, “What If” used to be called "The F Word." No, not that F word. F as in “friends.”

Now, that is cute. 

Susan Wloszczyna

Susan Wloszczyna spent much of her nearly thirty years at USA TODAY as a senior entertainment reporter. Now unchained from the grind of daily journalism, she is ready to view the world of movies with fresh eyes.

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What If (2014)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, including references throughout, partial nudity and language

102 minutes

Daniel Radcliffe as Wallace

Zoe Kazan as Chantry

Rafe Spall as Ben

Megan Park as Dalia

Adam Driver as Allan

Mackenzie Davis as Nicole

• Michael Dowse
• Elan Mastai

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John Krasinski’s ‘IF’ is a magical, family-friendly movie — despite its imperfections

Here’s what parents should know before taking their kids to see the movie.

By Caroline McDonald

John Krasinski’s “IF” is one of the sweetest family movies I’ve seen in several years, at least since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film features a star-studded cast with familiar faces such as Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski. Steve Carell plays Blue — a giant, purple, fluffy imaginary friend, also known as an “IF” — while the voices behind the other IFs include Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Blake Lively, Bradley Cooper and others.

The film follows the journey of these imaginary friends who, having been forgotten by their children, seek companionship again.

The movie adopts a safe and comfortable narrative for children while featuring deeper themes of loss, grief, hope and love. As an adult, I found the movie nostalgic and evocative. And partnered with Michael Giacchino’s stirring soundtrack, the story brought tears to my eyes more than once. The movie provided opportunities to laugh, to cry and to imagine.

Despite its occasional quirks and strained script, the magic and catharsis of the movie was inviting. Here are some things to know before watching it.

What is the movie about?

Bea (Cailey Fleming), a 12-year-old girl, is staying with her grandmother while her father (Krasinski) is in the hospital, awaiting surgery. Bea’s internal struggle becomes clear: Since her mother’s premature death, she fears another familial loss, which leaves her decidedly telling those around her that she is no longer a little kid.

Inexplicably, Bea begins to encounter a variety of IFs, including lovable Blue (Carell) and graceful Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). Cal (Reynolds) is the only other person who can see all the imaginary friends. The two team up to help lonely, “retired” IFs reconnect with the grown-up children they once looked after.

While director John Krasinski has directed other films — most notably “A Quiet Place” — “IF” is “his most personal project to date,” according to CBS News .

He also explained that his inspiration came from watching his two daughters, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic took place. “I saw their light starting to go out,” he told CBS News. “And I saw that the world started to seep in, and that is the definition of growing up.”

According to CBS News, it was at that moment Krasinski began to create “IF.” He wanted it to be a reminder to his children that “the magical world they’ve created will forever be a sanctuary for them, regardless of the challenges the real world presents.”

What parents should know

“IF” is rated PG. I found the jokes silly and endearing — in the theater, there were rows of kids who were laughing throughout the hour-and-a-half movie. The larger themes of “IF” might go over the heads of the little ones in the audience, but older children will likely resonate with the story.

According to a USA Today review, “Tweens and teens ... will likely engage with or feel seen by Bea’s character arc, struggling to move into a new phase of life while being tied to her younger years.”

While the magic of the film was evident, it had slow start. It was about halfway through the movie when I felt like the story had finally begun. The dialogue also felt simple at times, as if the script played it a little too safe.

The imperfections of the movie reflect in critics’ reviews. “IF” scored 51% on Rotten Tomatoes . However, the accompanying audience score was an 87%, and the movie has been generally well-liked.

Personally, I wholeheartedly appreciated the film. I thought it was funny, adorable and touching. Most importantly, I think it is worth the watch.

The movie, according to Variety , is also expected to have a successful box office weekend, with an anticipated $40 million box office debut.

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Marvel’s What If? review: How to break the MCU in all the right ways

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an evolving saga defined as much by the stories it tells as the rules that ensure those stories unfold within the saga’s established timeline. Given how successful the MCU has proven to be, it’s both surprising and refreshing to see some of Marvel’s latest projects toying with those well-established rules to give fans a taste of both what’s in store for the future and what the MCU might look like now if past events had transpired a little differently.

• Looking backward…
• … to look ahead

Visuals meet voice

After the recently-concluded Disney+ series Loki  kicked open the door to a multiverse of potential Marvel adventures in the next phase of the MCU, Marvel’s new animated anthology series What If? turns its focus to the past with stories exploring how the MCU would be shaped by tweaking key moments in its past. Digital Trends received an early look at the first three episodes of What If? in order to provide a review of the series and a preview of what’s to come.

Although there are a few cosmetic problems with the first few episodes of What If? , the series’ ambition and willingness to depict some pretty big changes in the MCU status quo make it an entertaining and unexpectedly unique lens through which to view Marvel’s saga.

Looking backward…

Created by screenwriter and producer A.C. Bradley and inspired by the comic book series of the same name,  What If? devotes each episode to a particular moment in the MCU timeline and explores how easily it could have unfolded differently, as well as the ripple effect that small difference would have had on everything that came later.

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For example, the first episode of the series reveals how easily SHIELD agent Peggy Carter (who previously headlined Marvel’s live-action Agent Carter series) could have ended up with the super-soldier serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America. However, even with all of the superhuman abilities the serum bestowed on her, Peggy finds herself waging a battle against Hydra as well as the misogyny of a WWII-era military structure that can’t imagine sending a woman to war. Peggy isn’t the only MCU character to experience a new story arc, either, as Steve Rogers, Howard Stark (Tony’s father), and other characters head in a new direction thanks to the emergence of “Captain Carter” instead of the Captain America we know.

The second episode of the series then explores what would have happened if, instead of inheriting the mantle of Black Panther, Wakandan prince T’Challa ended up becoming the cosmic adventurer known as Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill. What might initially seem like an inconsequential replacement ends up having massive implications on subsequent MCU events, as T’Challa’s perspective on life and experiences on Earth result in a much different version of Star-Lord — along with a much different Guardians of the Galaxy roster around him.

… to look ahead

While the stand-alone, alternate-timeline stories presented in What If? offer plenty of surface-level entertainment that mixes up Marvel’s roster and then pours it out in new, intriguing combinations, what the stories reveal about some of the big-picture elements of the MCU and its characters’ strengths and weaknesses might be the most fascinating aspect of the show.

Watching Peggy Carter’s struggle to receive the same opportunities Steve Rogers was given in the MCU casts that era of Marvel’s timeline and some of the characters that shaped it in a different light, for example, even as the episode finds a way to reiterate how much of a hero Steve is even without superhuman abilities. Similarly, seeing T’Challa bring the same level of thoughtful leadership and quiet power to a cosmic hero like Star-Lord as he brought to Black Panther makes it easy to wonder if the MCU might have been better off with some of these scenarios transpiring instead of the events we’re more familiar with.

Depending on the episode,  What If? feels like a series willing to admit that things could have gone better at some points in Marvel’s timeline, even as it’s showing how much worse they could’ve gone at the same time.

Marvel pulls off an impressive feat by having nearly all of the MCU’s live-action actors reprise their roles as voice actors in What If? And although the casting certainly adds a layer of familiarity with the characters and how they sound, it becomes clear at various points that not every on-camera actor’s talents make a smooth transition to the voice-acting realm.

Several key characters in What If? voiced by MCU actors sadly tend to sound a bit awkward in their line delivery, and their verbal interactions with their surrounding cast never quite sync up in a natural way. Along the same lines, some of the visual elements in What If? get a bit choppy, and the series’ simpler, less active animation style does it a disservice at times.

None of these issues are dealbreakers, however — far from it, in fact.

The scenarios presented in W hat If? and the questions the show poses about the MCU ultimately make it a unique, fascinating series that pushes its audience to think more critically about many of the elements we take for granted in Marvel’s live-action universe. “What if?” is the starting point, but to its credit, the series doesn’t shy away from asking “Why?”

And it’s that last question that offers yet another, unexpectedly rewarding way to enjoy the MCU.

Season 1 of Marvel What If? premieres August 11 on the Disney+ streaming service.

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But these issues are not new. We were so high on the MCU craze throughout the 2010s that we gave it a pass or outright ignored the numerous mediocre efforts. While it's easy to point at Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as the beginning of the end, the truth is the MCU has never been perfect. In fact, many of its projects released during the Infinity Saga are duds that only get worse with age. Some are merely adequate, but the worst MCU movies stand among the all-time worst superhero movies, and it's high time we recognize it. 7. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

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All in all, the studio clearly needs to return to the drawing board to bring the Marvel Cinematic Universe back to its former glory, and the higher-ups should consider doing these things in a revised Multiverse Saga. Have the heroes save the world less

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Wallace, who is burned out from a string of failed relationships, forms an instant bond with Chantry, who lives with her longtime boyfriend. Together, they puzzle out what it means if your b... Read all Wallace, who is burned out from a string of failed relationships, forms an instant bond with Chantry, who lives with her longtime boyfriend. Together, they puzzle out what it means if your best friend is also the love of your life. Wallace, who is burned out from a string of failed relationships, forms an instant bond with Chantry, who lives with her longtime boyfriend. Together, they puzzle out what it means if your best friend is also the love of your life.

• Michael Dowse
• Elan Mastai
• Michael Rinaldi
• Daniel Radcliffe
• 166 User reviews
• 163 Critic reviews
• 59 Metascore
• 2 wins & 10 nominations

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Daniel Radcliffe said in an interview that his role as Wallace is the first contemporary character he's ever played, having previously starred in mostly fantasy and historical projects. He said, "There was something lovely about just stepping up on set and talking."
• Goofs When Ben is in the ambulance his neck-brace isn't placed correctly. It should be under his chin.

Wallace : In fairy tales, love inspires you to be noble and courageous, but in real life, love is just an all-purpose excuse for selfish behavior. You can lie and cheat and hurt people, and it's all okay because you're in love.

• Crazy credits The beginning of the closing credits are done with Chantry's animations telling some of the story of the movie as well as some of the back story.
• "Lawn Bowls" reordered scene: AU @ 65:00-66:26 --> US @ 67:48
• "Tearing list" scene: AU @ 66:54-67:00 --> deleted from US
• "Chantry wandering around Dublin" scene: AU @ 67:04-67:15 --> deleted from US
• "We're Just Friends" scene: AU @ 67:28-68:13 --> deleted from US (found as an extra on the retail disc)
• "3 points" scene: US @ 69:33-69:38 --> deleted from AU
• "Where is Chantry" reordered scene: AU @ 68:13-69:45 --> US @ 69:38-71:08
• "Wallace going to Dublin" scene: AU @ 69:45-69:56 --> deleted from US
• "Wallace landing in Dublin" reordered scene: AU @ 72:10-72:13 --> US @ 71:08-71:10
• "Wallace waking up in Dublin on plane" scene: AU @ 72:13-72:24 --> deleted from US
• "Wallace found unconscious" scene: AU @ 73:06-73:32 --> deleted from US
• "Chantry's voicemail message to Wallace" alternate/reordered scene (shorter on US): US @ 72:00-72:10 --> uses AU @ 7427-7440 footage
• "Chantry's voicemail message to Wallace" alternate & Wallace's voicemail message to Chantry" scenes: AU @ 73:32-74:08--> deleted from US
• "Wallace leaving Ben's" same scene: AU @ 74:08-74:18 --> US @ 72:10-72:18
• "Wallace departing Dublin" scenes: AU @ 74:15-74:27 and 74:40-75:00 --> deleted from US
• "Landing at Toronto" same scene: AU @ 75:00-75:04 --> US @ 72:18-72:22
• "Rushing to restaurant" scene: AU @ 75:04-75:15 --> deleted from US
• "Outside restaurant" scene: AU @ 75:15 extended by appx 1 second
• "New US ending" scene: US @ 87:05-90:40 --> not on AU (found as an extra on the retail disc). Scene is out of narrative order when compared to animated end credits, and should have been placed after animated credits.
• Animated end credits are also somewhat different, and run at different speeds (outside PAL speedup): AU @ 90:00-94:37 --> US @ 90:40-93:19
• Connections Featured in Projector: What If? (2014)
• Soundtracks (Walking Through the) Sleeping City Performed by The Parting Gifts Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards Courtesy of In The Red Records By arrangement with Third Side Music Published by ABKO Music, Inc

User reviews 166

• Sep 8, 2013
• How long is What If? Powered by Alexa
• August 15, 2014 (United States)
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• Cinespace Film Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• No Trace Camping
• Caramel Films
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• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $11,000,000 (estimated)
• Aug 10, 2014

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 38 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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‘What If…’ Marvel’s TV Universe Kept Expanding?

• By Alan Sepinwall

Alan Sepinwall

Growing up, I’m not sure the idea behind any comic-book series excited me more than Marvel’s What If…? Each issue used the titular question to examine a version of Marvel history that went very differently, like, “What if… Spider-Man Had Never Become a Crimefighter?” or, conversely, “What If… Doctor Doom Had Become A Hero?” The mere possibility of these radical deviations from the stories I knew was so thrilling, I barely even noticed how hit-and-miss the What If…? comic itself could be. While some issues were well-received enough to eventually lead to ongoing series (including Jane Foster becoming Thor decades later, or Peter Parker and MJ having a daughter who becomes the superhero Spider-Girl), more often the goal seemed to be to make clear that the original stories were vastly preferable to these alternate versions. Yes, it was tragic when Phoenix from Uncanny X-Men had to die, but in the What If…? version where she didn’t sacrifice herself, eventually the entire universe was destroyed. Or, in a triptych of stories about Amazing Spider-Man supporting characters who were bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter, two of the three concluded with these other Spider-Men dying in action. Even What If…? issues that didn’t end with massive carnage tended to be downers: Spidey stops the Green Goblin from killing his girlfriend Gwen Stacy, but this triggers a chain of events that turns Peter into a fugitive, unable to be around Gwen or any of his loved ones. The series seemed to be implicitly telling its readers to quit asking for things to be different, because we didn’t appreciate how good we had it with how things went in the first place.

Now What If…? has become the latest entry in Disney+ ‘s ever-expanding library of shows featuring characters and performers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with early episodes including voice performances from Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, and, for the last time, the late Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa. This What If…? is animated, which only increases the possibilities at the creative team’s disposal, since there are ideas that can be executed in cartoon form that even an MCU-budgeted live-action show or movie might find it difficult to present.

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But if this new What If…? isn’t as aggressively in favor of the status quo as the comics could be, the three episodes given to critics suggest it’s uneven in the way almost any anthology series is. It’s fun simply because the level of quality control at Marvel is pretty high these days (give or take that F alcon and the Winter Soldier finale), and because some of the ideas are either inherently appealing or are used to cleverly tweak what we know from the films. But not every installment lives up to the title’s seemingly limitless potential.

The series — with each episode introduced, as the comics issues were, by the all-seeing cosmic being the Watcher (voiced by Jeffrey Wright) — begins with a story where a seemingly minor decision by Peggy Carter during the events of Captain America : The First Avenger results in her, and not Steve Rogers(*), receiving Dr. Erskine’s serum and being transformed into an impossibly tall and muscular supersoldier. As was the case on ABC’s Agent Carter — which was arguably the best Marvel TV show prior to Kevin Feige taking over — Peggy’s obvious abilities are dismissed at first due to the even more overt sexism of the Forties. Pretty soon, though, she’s in a variation of Steve’s iconic costume — this one with a Union Jack motif for U.K. native Peggy, rather than the Stars and Stripes — and kicking Hydra butt up and down the European theater of operations in World War II.

(*) Far more often than not, the show is able to get the MCU stars to reprise their roles, but a few big fish elude them, including Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Scarlett Johansson, and are replaced by veteran voice actors like Josh Keaton (as Steve Rogers) and Lake Bell (as Black Widow). There’s also the semi-amusing spectacle of Ruffalo playing Banner in an episode set circa the Ed Norton Incredible Hulk film. 

The premiere is an anomaly for What If…? as a whole, in that swapping Peggy and Steve’s roles doesn’t really change that much from the original story. The episode’s plot largely tracks with that of The First Avenger , albeit with some improvements along the margins, particularly for Bucky Barnes. But it works despite the familiarity, because Peggy is such an appealing character — a lovestruck Steve, admiring her new physique, notes that her outside now better matches her already formidable and heroic inside — and because the animators really go to town on the action sequences. Captain Carter is a much more impressive fighter than Captain America, thanks to all the moves that are easier to draw than they were for Chris Evans, his stunt double, and even a lot of CGI to pull off.

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Still, the second episode takes greater advantage of the What If…? premise. This one posits that when Yondu and the Ravagers came to Earth to abduct young Peter Quill at the start of Guardians of the Galaxy , they took a wrong turn at Wakanda and instead wound up with Prince T’Challa. A couple of early scenes recreate familiar Guardians moments with this new Star-Lord, but in short order we wind up with an entirely new story: an interstellar caper involving T’Challa, Yondu, Nebula, and even Thanos. We already know from Avengers: Endgame that heist stories fit well into the tone of the MCU, and this is a well-executed example of the genre that takes particular advantage of Boseman’s underrated facility with light comedy(*). But it also works well because a lot of thought was obviously put into how the cosmic corners of the MCU would be altered if the wise, noble, and persuasive T’Challa were there instead of the immature Quill. The impact T’Challa has on Thanos is a particular delight.

(*) It’s a skill he wasn’t called upon often to display in his far too short career, but the Black Jeopardy sketch from SNL where he played T’Challa made clear that he knew how to wring laughs out of his most iconic role without selling out the character in the process.

The third episode is a murder mystery tying together events from Iron Man 2 , Thor , and The Incredible Hulk . Serious Marvel nerds already know that those movies are meant to take place at roughly the same time, thanks to a tie-in comic, called Fury’s Big Week , that showed Nick Fury and Phil Coulson racing from one crisis to the next. This one’s less exciting than the earlier episodes, both because it’s spinning out of a trio of lesser MCU movies, and because the premise is a lot fuzzier than “What if Peggy got the supersoldier formula?” or “What if T’Challa was Star-Lord?” Even so, the scale is impressive, and time spent with Samuel L. Jackson as Fury never feels wasted.

The Fury installment is also the most in line with the old comics, in presenting a world that’s much less preferable to how the stories went the first time around. It will be interesting to see whether What If…? as a whole lands more on the side of happy or dark endings. There’s already been talk of spinning some of these episodes off into their own series, a la Spider-Girl . A Captain Carter show seems an obvious candidate, whether animated or live-action. (Atwell would just have to bulk up, and maybe stand on apple boxes for most of her scenes, to match the character’s supersized appearance, but it seems doable in either format.) A T’Challa-in-space show would be wonderful, too, if only Boseman were still here to star in it.

In that way, Disney+ ‘s insatiable demand for as much MCU content as Feige and company can provide may wind up serving this new What If…? very well. The comic book wasn’t designed with spin-offs in mind, even if some of the ideas it introduced later filtered into the main continuity. It could afford to be conservative, since its stories weren’t meant to last more than one issue, two at the most. If the plan is to use the TV version of What If…? to beta-test future Marvel shows, though, then the biggest and most audacious changes are in its best interest.

What If…? premieres August 11th on Disney+ , with episodes releasing weekly. I’ve seen the first three.

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A charming story for the entire family! Everyone in the world has, at one time or another wondered “What If” in life. What if they had performed better in school? What if they had made different choices, whether it be in their careers or their personal lives? We all wonder “What if”. Here is a charming story about one man, Ben (Kevin Sorbo) who gets to find the answer to those questions even though he never asked. God sends an angel named Mike (John Ratzenberger) to help Ben see what would have been in store for him if he stayed with his original life’s plan.

This faith-based movie will have you laughing and crying as you enjoy this magically entertaining story. It is a different twist to “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Instead of “what if” you were never born, this story answers the question “what if” you made different choices? We are proud to award this movie our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for all ages.

One of the neatest things about this movie is it was filmed in my state of Michigan. In fact, parts of it were filmed right here in Grand Rapids. Some of the buildings and scenery are familiar to me, making this wonderful heartwarming story even more appealing to us locals.

Dove Rating Details

Man hits another man a couple of times.

Kissing between a couple.

H-1 (as a place); Jerk-2

Man in hospital with IVs.

Dad pays boy not to see his daughter.

More Information

Film information, dove content.

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WHAT IF. . .

"faith and family man".

What You Need To Know:

(CCC, BBB, V) Very strong evangelistic Christian, biblical worldview about a man coming back to faith after years of putting fame and fortune first; no foul language; car stops inexplicably and airbag knocks man out, angel slugs man humorously at different times to transport him to the place he’s supposed to be, and dying man in hospital bed; no sex; no nudity; no alcohol; no smoking; and, nothing else objectionable.

More Detail:

WHAT IF. . . is an extremely well made, funny, heartwarming, pointedly Christian spinoff of THE FAMILY MAN with Nicolas Cage.

WHAT IF opens with Ben leaving his beloved, Wendy, for a brief period of time to gain his fame and fortune so he cane return and they can marry. Cut to fifteen years later when Ben is a high-powered, very successful investment banker who can connect the dots so well that he can understand where a deal is going. His uncanny ability is incisive and funny.

To celebrate a big deal, Ben buys himself a brand new Mercedes. When he takes it for a spin, he ends up on the outskirts of his old hometown. There, he meets an angel who introduces him to life as it could have been if he had married his beloved Wendy and become a pastor 15 years ago as he planned. Suddenly, Ben finds himself with two daughters and the new pastor of the church.

Ben preaches one of the worst sermons ever and makes a mess of everything. Slowly, he begins to understand what is worthwhile in life and what isn’t, but it may be too late.

Kevin Sorbo does a terrific job as Ben. Another bright light in the movie is John Ratzenberger. He is the funniest angel to come along in a long time. The dialogue is terrific. Some of it is laugh-out-loud funny.

What makes the movie work is the direction. Dallas Jenkins exercises his considerable talent to bring out the best in each actor and tell the story in a heartwarming, interesting, hilarious, evangelistic manner.

WHAT IF. . . is the best movie so far to come out of Pure Flix Entertainment. Everyone is to be highly commended.

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‘What/If’ Review: Renée Zellweger’s Netflix Soap Is Exquisite, Binge-Worthy Trash

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[Editor’s Note: The following review contains mild spoilers for “What/If” Season 1, in that any details about the twist-heavy plot are technically spoilers.] 

It actually takes a lot of hard, focused work to make a TV show so bad it’s good. Think of “Barry.” The excellent HBO comedy is only getting better, but Bill Hader is a great (Emmy-winning) actor being asked to portray a bad one. Sure, the “SNL” veteran knows what a bad actor looks like — he was, after all, still part of the cast when Gerard Butler hosted — but he also knows what makes bad acting entertaining. “Barry” is filled with awful performances used toward brilliant comedy, whether it’s the tone deaf choices of his acting class or Barry trying to act (aka lie) in his day-to-day life.

Now, instead of just one element of the show being bad, imagine an entire series built from that same qualitative mentality. Putting all those pieces together is difficult, let alone finding a story to support them, but “What / If” does exactly that. Mike Kelley’s soapy, silly, melodramatic, twist-driven thriller is at no times not entertaining. The 10-episode first season tosses one loony development in after another, piling up the drama as fast as it piles up the fun. Netflix ‘s anthology is so bad it’s laugh-out-loud funny, and yet still smart enough to induce gasps. It’s Michelin-star trash, and you won’t be able to stop binging.

It’s also a remake of “Gypsy.” Remember “Gypsy,” the Naomi Watts-led 2017 thriller that, despite many compelling components, was mind-bogglingly boring? So many elements of “What / If” line up with one of Netflix’s most disappointing failures, I wouldn’t be surprised if the streaming giant’s famous algorithm helped Kelley create a bigger, better, stronger reboot. For one, both series focus on a mysterious, well-off-but-working blonde who’s played by an acclaimed movie star. In “What / If,” that actor is Renée Zellweger and her character is Anne Montgomery, a woman of extreme wealth who sets her sights on Lisa (Jane Levy), a young, edgy brunette — again, just like “Gypsy.”

Only this time, their attraction is all work and zero play. Lisa is a scientist on the edge of a breakthrough that would save millions of kids’ lives. She just needs the funding to execute her trials and bring her technique to market. After striking out with other, more conservative venture capitalists, Lisa gets an unexpected invitation from Anne. Only, Anne doesn’t want a pitch — she wants a night alone with Lisa’s husband, Sean (Blake Jenner), the young, tall, burly former major league baseball star-turned-paramedic-turned-firefighter.

Though his physical attributes are certainly a bonus, they’re also a smokescreen. Anne is a devious mastermind who’s made millions based on her belief that human attachment is a weakness; she argues the only way Lisa’s business can succeed is if she’s willing to be 100 percent focused on work, at the expense of her husband. To prove it, she has to leave Anne and Sean alone for an entire night. She’ll get the funding she needs, but Lisa can never ask Sean what happened when he was with Anne.

Sound familiar? It should, and no, not because of “Gypsy” (though I stand by the comparison). Kelley’s first season is inspired by “Indecent Proposal,” with a welcome gender switch (Zellweger steps in for Robert Redford, Jenner for Demi Moore), and he doesn’t stop at the premise. “What / If” incorporates as many of ’80s and ’90s neo-noir touches as possible, from the duplicitous secrets cooked into every character to near-constant sexual undertones (and overtones) scoring each scene.

Moreover, Kelley clearly loves the genre: Striking colors pop like fireworks, bathing the night in blue light. Anne sits atop a choppy SF skyscraper (that appears to have inspired the show’s title design ) and clips her massive bonsai tree with the ferocity of a Bond villain. Framings tilt off their axis as characters’ paranoia and confusion deepens, and Phillip Noyce even directs the first two episodes, a veteran of ’90s thrillers like “Sliver” and “The Saint.”

All these touches support substantial twists that just keep coming. Kelley doesn’t slow down after the pilot, and he manages to sustain the suspense over 10 hours of well-staged melodrama. “What / If” makes the most of what appears to be a considerable budget, choosing posh, otherworldly locations and crafting stages to match. There are helicopter flights to remote destinations, an open house staged like “Sleep No More,” and even a surprise night where Anne slums it in a Kentucky motel. The locales add a delicious punch to the narrative’s drama, while also helping episodes stand out among all the switcheroos.

Finally, there are two last factors critical to keeping this all chugging along: the ending and the acting. Without spoiling anything, rest assured the end of “What / If” does not disappoint. Though not the go-for-broke barnburner some may hope to see, Kelley delivers a satisfying, and satisfyingly absurd, close to the layers and layers of insanity. As for the actors, well, no one is Hader-level great at being bad. Levy and Jenner are as bland as they need to be, allowing viewers to project whatever they need onto the protagonists. Some may mock their naive puppy love while others will buy into the choices they make for their partners, but you’ll have a grand time watching them get put through the wringer no matter how much you love or love to hate the couple.

Zellweger, meanwhile, is the only thespian asked to emote with affecting range. She doesn’t quite reach the camp heights of her genre’s best predecessors (like Sharon Stone and Glenn Close), but the Oscar-winner comes close. Zellweger proves excellent at exposing Anne’s few, fleeting vulnerabilities; acknowledging an effective attack with a downward flick of her eyes so she can save her big blow-ups for when they really matter later on. Watching her cry, when it finally comes, is a well-earned and utterly demented experience.

If this is what Kelley is capable of with just one season, one can only imagine what this proof-of-concept will draw for future seasons. The story will start over should Netflix pick up another set of episodes, and new stars can chew the magnificent new scenery. Is “What / If” as good as “Barry”? Of course not. If anything, it’s the inverse on every level — but that’s almost as hard to pull off, and fittingly almost as enjoyable, too. Bring on Season 2.

“What/If” Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.

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Welcome to the galactic Schaffrillas. We got Schaffrillas off the menu: r/schaffrillasoffmenu -Your Supreme Chancellor Index Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Schaffrillas/s/d7mheYL2u9

Well guys, I saw the IF movie (thanks to advance screening) and now it’s time to speak my review, that being:

The guys who said that it would fail, you guys must have smoked something because this movie is a MASTERPIECE, the story was fun, the characters were awesome (especially blossom 🩶), the visuals were gorgeous, it’s the best movie, literally the GOAT among the movies, I recommend watching it, and try to buy a physical copy and/or buy subscription to a streaming service that has it, 10/10, would watch it again, will watch the sequels/shows that would come in the future, ITS JUST AWESOME

Btw, I made a reaction image of blossom, so for the people who said smack about IF, consider it a warning, if you want to screenshot it, go ahead, no ones stopping you :)

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What/If Review: Renée Zellweger Drama Is Somehow Three Shows, and They're All Boring

Watching Zellweger shoot arrows at her young protégé should be endlessly meme-able but it's not.

What/If is as baffling as the forward slash in the middle of its title. Netflix's new thriller from Mike Kelley (of Revenge fame) sets out to be a nighttime soap that asks high-minded, existential questions instead of who is sleeping with whose husband. Well, What/If still asks who is sleeping with whose husband, but the grand question Kelley is trying to answer is: What is the cost of trust?

Centered on the fraught relationship between a cold-blooded angel investor who swoops in to save a revolutionary medical technology company run by an optimistic ingenue, What/If examines the consequences of making a deal with the devil. Money-flush Anne Montgomery ( Renée Zellweger ) agrees to make all of Lisa's ( Jane Levy ) dreams come true for one night with her husband, Sean ( Blake Jenner ). Deciding that their love can weather any artificially created sh--storm, Lisa takes the deal to save her life's work. Predictably, Anne uses the night to further her own inscrutable agenda; Lisa, determined not to be a pawn in Anne's game, strikes back in ways that further Anne's long game.

Find Your New Favorite Show: Watch This Now!

There is a prestige drama version of the show in which Anne's long game is actually surprising, and there is a guilty-pleasure version of the show that burns through twice the plot in half the time. The version of What/If that Netflix produced is an attempt to combine the two that drags down its already underutilized cast. The performances are so leaden that they sink any attempts to transcend into camp. But that's unsurprising considering that the actors (especially the spectacular Jane Levy from Suburgatory ) only have caricatures to work with. Watching Renée Zellweger play a billionaire business tycoon who passive-aggressively shoots arrows at her protégé (she literally practices archery in her San Francisco penthouse) should be thrilling, or at the very least, endlessly meme-able. Instead, each episode turns the audience just a little more against a cast of characters who seem determined to get in their own way, despite several heavy-handed danger signs. The fact that the show never puts in the work to push past these caricatures keeps it from leaping into prestige drama territory.

The one saving grace of the show is that it's really three different shows at once, each more insane than the other, and each inexplicably sending the ensemble cast on character arcs that barely intersect. There's the murder-filled thriller involving Anne, Lisa, and Sean; a family drama about Lisa's recently out-of-the-closet brother questioning his first serious relationship and coming to terms with a generational tragedy; and a Lifetime movie in which Sean's high school friends, who are now married to each other, face off against a psychotic boss with whom the wife had an affair. The chances are at least one of those genres appeals to you, and watching them all car crash against each other in a single show is admittedly fun. (The Lifetime plotline was my personal favorite; Dave Annable as the cheating boss is exactly as over-the-top and chilling as the whole show could be.)

A more thoughtful version of the show would have woven these threads tightly together to make an overarching point about trust, or at least attempt to answer the big questions it poses. But what Netflix gave us is the white noise of well-paid actors chewing extremely expensive scenery. The only revelation What/If really offers is the thought of what you could have binged in those 10 hours instead.

What/If streams Friday, May 24 on Netflix.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Dull romance between unsuited people; violence, language.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

A person damaged in childhood by a destructive par

Billie is defensive and stubborn. Jecs is clueless

The action takes place in the Philippines with Fil

Someone dies off-screen, reportedly of eating the

Sex is discussed but none is shown, nor is there a

Infrequent use of "f--k," "s--t," "boobs," "t-t,"

Adults drink alcohol to drunkenness and smoke ciga

Parents need to know that What If ? is a romance set in the Philippines about two musicians who fall in love and go on their honeymoon on a remote island. Through flashbacks, their story is told -- of meeting cute, collaborating musically, and allowing petty differences to tear them apart. Someone dies off…

Positive Messages

A person damaged in childhood by a destructive parent may never recover and may not make a great marital partner.

Positive Role Models

Billie is defensive and stubborn. Jecs is clueless and insensitive.

Diverse Representations

The action takes place in the Philippines with Filipino actors. Men make startlingly misogynistic statements about women. One refers to his wife as "the ball and chain." He finds her annoying, "like a radio whose battery never dies." He adds, "Destiny sends us some women, very difficult ones, simply to test our nerves and patience."

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Someone dies off-screen, reportedly of eating the wrong things. An angry father is said to have been physically abusive when his adult daughter was a child and he continues to be verbally abusive to her now.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Sex is discussed but none is shown, nor is there any nudity. A "blow job" is mentioned. A woman calls her husband a "sharpshooter," referring to how "he went right in, and bam," she was pregnant.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults drink alcohol to drunkenness and smoke cigarettes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that What If ? is a romance set in the Philippines about two musicians who fall in love and go on their honeymoon on a remote island. Through flashbacks, their story is told -- of meeting cute, collaborating musically, and allowing petty differences to tear them apart. Someone dies off-screen, reportedly of eating the wrong things. An angry father is said to have been physically abusive when his adult daughter was a child, and he continues to be verbally abusive to her now. Sex is discussed but none is shown, nor is there any nudity. A "blow job" is mentioned. A woman calls her husband a "sharpshooter," referring to how "he went right in, and bam," she was pregnant. Adults drink to drunkenness and smoke cigarettes. Language includes infrequent use of "f--k," "s--t," "boobs," "t-t," "butt," "damn," "suck," and "ass." In Filipino with English subtitles. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

Is it any good, talk to your kids about ....

Families can talk about how a person damaged in childhood by a destructive parent may never recover and may not make a great marital partner. How does Billie hold what her father did to her against Jecs?

Do you think Billie didn't want to have children because of how she was treated by her father when she was a child? Why didn't that occur to Jecs?

Why does Jecs fail to tell his meddling mother to back off when it comes to overstepping boundaries with his new wife? What should he have said to his mother?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : September 7, 2023
• Cast : Alessandra de Rossi , JM De Guzman
• Director : Manny Palo
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Asian actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Romance
• Run time : 112 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : September 11, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘What If?’ on Netflix, a Bland Romantic Drama About a Honeymoon That Hits the Rocks

Where to stream:.

• What If (2023)

First Trailer Drops for Sapphic Thai Film ‘Uranus 2324’

Stream it or skip it: ‘a greek recipe for romance’ on the hallmark channel is just an okay recipe for a movie, ‘bridgerton’ season 3 finale recap: yours truly, penelope bridgerton, ‘bridgerton’ season 3 episode 7 recap: the pen-ultimate episode.

What If? (now on Netflix) is bound to be confused with multiple other films and TV shows with the same title, ranging from the Marvel one to the Renee Zellweger one to the Daniel Radcliffe one to the one that’s probably about Jesus, because Kevin Sorbo is in it. This time, it’s a Filipino romance that takes its title from a fictional hit song written by one of the lead characters, which I’d hum to you right now, if I could remember it. And that sentiment is a reflection of the movie as a whole, I’m afraid. 

WHAT IF? : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Billie (Alessandra De Rossi) narrates glumly as she walks along a trash-strewn beach to catch a boat. She’s leaving this island, and we’re about to spend the next two-ish hours finding out why. Flashback to several days prior, when she wasn’t so glum. She and new hubby Jecs (JM De Guzman) are freshly married and ready to honeymoon the living crap out of each other. They get to Panglao Island, a gorgeous locale with crystal waters and beaches lined with tall grasses. We soon learn that Jecs’ reputation precedes him even in this relatively remote locale – “Aren’t you that singer?” he’s asked right off the boat, and indeed he is. His hit is ‘What If,’ a lite-rock strummer that makes John Mayer sound like Slayer. True to the reality of being a musician trying to make a living in 2023, when Jecs isn’t singing or writing songs, he’s hocking name-brand luggage on social media smack in the middle of his damn honeymoon.

Billie isn’t too annoyed by this – not as much as we are, anyway. I guess that’s what happens when you’re sometimes the subject of flattering photos posted on an up-and-coming star musician’s social media, accompanied by HASHTAG PERFECT WIFE and other such flatteries. They smooch and flirt and settle into their rustic, postcard-worthy cottage nestled on a hill overlooking the sea. Jecs’ mother calls, and he indulges her buttisnkyisms; she tells him honeymoons are for making her a grandchild, and he laughs and Billie winces a little and really Mom, can it and let the lovebirds lovebird, all right? Meanwhile, Billie’s father keeps calling and she keeps ignoring it; he skipped the wedding and is an abusive shithead, so she doesn’t want to give the guy her time, and who can blame her?

Don’t forget, this whole thing is a flashback, so the flashbacks to how Billie and Jecs met mean we’re getting flashbacks within flashbacks, which is, like, bordering on Inception -style Russian-doll narrative layering. Billie’s a keyboardist who was hired by Jecs’ producer or manager or whatever to play on one of his recordings, and she was the only one not afraid to give the writer of a big hit track some constructive criticism, from which love bloomed. Back in the almost-present, the happy couple goes island-hopping and does a little freediving and then the cracks start to show. It turns out that Billie can’t conceive a child, which explains why her mother-in-law’s commentary needles her so. And her jealous streak starts to throb when she spots an influencer with boobs out to here routinely liking Jecs’ posts; “She’s just clout-chasing for her vlogs!” Jecs protests as we stifle our laughter. Meanwhile, a typhoon starts bearing down on the island and as the rain and wind batter the house and the power flickers out, the tension between Billie and Jecs simmers and boils. Is the honeymoon over before the honeymoon is over?

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Nights in Rodanthe , if it fizzled instead of sizzled.

Performance Worth Watching: On behalf of De Rossi, whose presence here indicates her skill in inhabiting a character, I hereby plead for someone to give her a decent script next time.

Memorable Dialogue: Jecs’ mother doesn’t mince words: “Of all the women, you had to fall in love with the barren one.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: The dramatic high point of this story makes a hill of beans look like Kilimanjaro. De Rossi and De Guzman never really kindle a romantic flame, and we therefore fail to be invested in their well-being as a couple. It takes 45 minutes before it feels like anything happens in What If? , which isn’t valid criticism if a movie uses that time to enrich its characters. Yet here, it feels like loitering, in draggy scenes that dole out bits of information about Billie and Jecs that comprise the bare minimum of their personhood. One senses director Manny Palo aiming for realism, for a hangout vibe allowing his actors to find their characters in the basic, unsensational moments of life, and they land on the occasional earnest truth. But the cast seems uninspired and not fully engaged with the material, an indicator of a screenplay in need of another rewrite or three. 

The island setting is ripe for lush cinematography, and is a key component of a narrative that’s soon to deploy a doozy of a metaphor when torrential downpours begin, and we wonder if this couple can, you know, “weather the storm” – it’s so on-the-nose, I half expected the typhoon to unleash a deluge of fist-sized hams. Granted, the conflict is rooted in common pitfalls of modern relationships; Billie is mostly content to be childless, while Jecs doesn’t want to exhaust all their options yet, and therefore briefly grazes against the topic of female bodily autonomy. That tantalizing bit doesn’t go anywhere, though, as the story clunks through flashbacks, unconvincing melodrama and a haphazardly plotted, laughably bad conclusion. Even the contingent of fans who glom onto Asian romances is going to find What If? too bland for consumption. 

Our Call: What If? More like Butt If ! SKIP IT. 

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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‘i am: celine dion’ review: power ballad queen chronicles her new reality in amazon’s moving portrait.

Irene Taylor's documentary details the Canadian star's struggles with Stiff Person Syndrome and appraises the impactful legacy of the singer's career spanning four decades-plus.

By Lovia Gyarkye

Lovia Gyarkye

Arts & Culture Critic

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In the world of celebrity documentaries, hagiographies reign supreme. Rare is the film that fulfills its promises of intimacy, vulnerability and never-before-seen perspectives. The films are generally risk-avoidant exercises that have perfected the optical illusion of making subjects seem closer than they actually are. 

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K-pop group tomorrow x together heads to theaters with vr concert tour, celine dion wants documentary 'i am celine dion' to serve as a beacon of hope for those struggling, i am: celine dion.

In I Am: Celine Dion , the singer demonstrates the extent of her readiness. Directed by Irene Taylor ( Leave No Trace, Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements ), the film builds on the confessional energy of the Instagram video by inviting fans to bear witness to her struggles with SPS. It is at once a moving tribute to Dion’s legacy, a peek into how this condition has challenged her gifts and an attempt to help the pop star wrestle with what this means for her future.

Taylor, working with DP Nick Midwig, fashions a verité-style documentary that keeps audiences close to Dion as she hangs out with her children, undergoes extensive rehab and immunotherapy and tries to rebuild her sense of self. What does it mean that her body’s internal war has debilitated her voice, which she calls “the conductor of her life?”

This introduction makes immediately clear the degree to which Dion’s life has changed with SPS. No longer can the balladeer fiercely belt the tearful lyrics of her heavyweight discography for hours. She can no longer record three songs in a night or put on performances of a lifetime week after week.

Dion sings in registers that require less work, as demonstrated later when she records a track for the Netflix movie Love Again starring Priyanka Chopra. Taylor and her editors Richard Comeau and J. Christian Jensen stitch together a number of Dion’s session takes to show the effort required for the singer to do what once came so naturally. Through moments like these the director builds an affecting project of contrasts: A portrait of Dion, past and present. 

When Taylor and Dion dig into the past, the results are edifying. A trip to the singer’s warehouse, stocked with costumes, shoes and other memorabilia from her decades-long career, is a chance to review her legacy. Dion, now 56, rummages through the items while highlighting key moments in her career. She talks about her relationship to fashion, remarking with a wink that her shoe size ranges from a 6 to a 10 because she doesn’t mind suffering for the perfect piece.

The “we” is critical. Throughout I Am: Celine Dion , the Canadian singer expresses profound gratitude for members of her team, from the people who helped stage her tours to the medical professionals, including Dr. Amanda Piquet, helping her manage SPS. There are no interviews with this supporting cast, however. I Am: Celine Dion doesn’t supplement its subject’s testimony with anyone. Instead, like that Instagram video from 2022, it functions as a direct communion between herself and her fans. 

Dion genuinely believes in the power of moving farther together. “I didn’t invent myself, I didn’t create myself,” the Québecoise singer says at one point in the documentary. One wonders if this commitment to teamwork stems from a childhood spent with a big family. Dion was born in Québec to a family of 14 children. According to the singer, her parents worked hard to make sure the kids would never be aware of any suffering. Her mother invented dishes when there was little food in the fridge and Dion counts her siblings as her first audience.

I Am: Celine Dion steadies itself when it returns to the intersection of Dion’s career with her medical condition. The film highlights just how much music means to the singer. She uses any opportunity — creating a get well video with her sons, doing physical therapy — to break into song.

In interviews, Dion works through her anxieties and concerns. She worries about not being able to control her voice in the same way or whether or not she has the energy to live life as she once knew it. There are moments in the doc when the singer, in the middle of an activity, will remark on her legs and other parts of her body feeling sore or tired.

The film is as much about the singer as it is about the realities of living with a chronic illness. Taylor does not shy away from sitting in on difficult points in Dion’s life, including one painful scene in which the singer seizes up after a busy and overstimulating afternoon. Her foot stiffens first and then her entire body locks in place. As her doctor moves Dion to lie on her side and urges her to take deep breaths, tears stream down the singer’s face.

This palpable and visceral glimpse into her pain is a jolting reminder of the toll this condition has taken on Dion not just as a star but as a person. 

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Movie Reviews

These are the 19 movies we're most excited about this summer.

Bob Mondello

Aisha Harris

Linda Holmes

Glen Weldon

Clockwise from top left: Inside Out 2 , Thelma , Twisters , Hit Man , Fancy Dance and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F . Disney/Pixar, Magnolia Pictures, Universal Pictures, Netflix, Apple TV+, Netflix hide caption

At this time of year, there's air conditioning, and then there's movie theater air conditioning — a frigid blast forceful enough to cool down the biggest crowd on a hot summer's day. And if that's not enough, your neighborhood multiplex also boasts enormous ice-cold drinks to go with popcorn and candy and … oh, right … it also has movies! Comedies, action-adventures, coming-of-age tales, animation.

What to watch this summer: Here are the TV shows we're looking forward to

If you're wondering which to catch, our critics have you covered. Here's our take on the cream of the cinematic crop — Marvel to just plain marvelous — from now through Labor Day.

Hit Man , in theaters May 24, on Netflix June 7 Red-hot star Glen Powell plays the titular hit man — well, a cop pretending to be a hit man — in this action rom-com. Romantic comedies are much rarer than they used to be, and the ones that do show up are often disappointing. But! Powell co-wrote the screenplay with director Richard Linklater, whose skill with love stories is well established (the Before trilogy is all the love-story credibility anybody needs, forever). A lot of Netflix movies have fizzled. Hopefully this one will not. — Linda Holmes

Ghostlight , in theaters June 14 The title of this warmly engaging drama refers to theatrical superstition: a light left onstage to keep the theater ghost at bay — or at least to keep it happy — when actors aren't present. Actors are everywhere here, as family tragedy blends into Shakespearean tragedy (a grieving construction worker getting roped into a community theater Romeo and Juliet ), and the film doubles down on connections by casting a real-life father, wife and daughter as the construction worker, his wife and their daughter. — Bob Mondello

Inside Out 2 , in theaters June 14 Inside Out was one of Pixar's best films, but sequels haven't always been the studio's strength. Still, it's exciting to know that Joy ( Amy Poehler ) is back, as are Phyllis Smith's Sadness and Lewis Black's Anger. New voices and new emotions arrive as Riley enters her teenage years, and the world may not be ready for Maya Hawke as Anxiety or Ayo Edebiri as Envy (OK, I may not). But get out the tissues or whatever else you need to cope with an onslaught of feelings, because it's coming. — Linda Holmes

The Bikeriders , in theaters June 21 A melodrama about a fictional 1960s motorcycle gang starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy? Sure, why not! This is Jeff Nichols' first feature in almost a decade (following 2016's Loving and Midnight Special ), and he has proved himself again and again as a filmmaker who excels at capturing mood and ambience, through setting as well as a great Michael Shannon performance. At the very least, this could be a thrill ride. — Aisha Harris

Fancy Dance , in theaters June 21, on Apple TV+ June 28 It has taken far too long for Erica Tremblay's profound feature debut to get a proper release — it premiered at Sundance back in January 2023 — but the wait is worth it. Lily Gladstone plays Jax, a woman caring for her young niece on a Native American reservation after her sister goes missing. Part crime drama and part road trip movie, it avoids emotional clichés while offering an underseen perspective and a dynamic performance from Gladstone. — Aisha Harris

Kinds of Kindness , in theaters June 21 Viewers who know Yorgos Lanthimos' recent work — Poor Things , The Favourite — might find him whimsically absurd. Those of us who've been with him from his 2009 breakthrough, Dogtooth , however, know him to be a deadpan satirist of the most scalding, remorseless variety. He has reteamed with Dogtooth writer Efthimis Filippou for this anthology film featuring the same stable of actors playing different roles in three shorts. Can't wait to see him getting back to his roots; bring on the bleak. — Glen Weldon

Thelma , in theaters June 21 Ninety-three-year-old Thelma ( June Squibb ) is duped by a phone scammer in the opening reel and then sets off on a geriatric Mission: Impossible across Los Angeles to get her money back. Along the way, she enlists the aid (and electric scooter) of an old pal (the late Richard Roundtree ), runs rings around her frantic daughter ( Parker Posey ) and matches wits with scammer Malcolm McDowell. An understated riot that's arguably the most Sundance-ean comedy since Little Miss Sunshine . — Bob Mondello

Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 , in theaters June 28 and Aug. 16 Kevin Costner's passion project (he has said he mortgaged his 10-acre oceanfront property in Santa Barbara, Calif., to finance it) returns him to Dances With Wolves territory — settlers arriving in covered wagons, expecting Indigenous communities to disappear. Chapter 1 is reportedly roughly three hours long. Chapter 2 will hit theaters seven weeks later. And depending on whether audiences show up, Costner will spend his summer either shooting the next chapter or, I guess, nursing his wounds. — Bob Mondello

A Quiet Place: Day One , in theaters June 28 It's not a spoiler anymore that A Quiet Place 's story made sequels complicated — but there are always prequels. This one, starring Lupita Nyong'o , rewinds all the way back to the alien invasion that got everybody to shut up in the first place. And unlike the other two films, it takes place smack in the middle of New York City, not the most natural place to attempt total silence. John Krasinski stepped back from both directing and writing the screenplay, which could be a problem — or a fresh start. — Linda Holmes

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F , on Netflix July 3 Street-smart Detroit detective Axel Foley is the role that made Eddie Murphy a movie star in 1984. This Part 4 has been in development since the mid-1990s, after morphing briefly into a TV pilot that never got picked up. Joining Murphy from the earlier films will be fellow cops Judge Reinhold, John Ashton and Paul Reiser, as well as Bronson Pinchot’s star-making art gallerist, Serge. Franchise newbies include Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kevin Bacon . — Bob Mondello

Fly Me to the Moon , in theaters July 12 “Space race rom-com” isn’t exactly well-trod territory, so this project from Greg Berlanti ( Love, Simon ) could be a light, refreshing summer diversion starring a pair of ridiculously good-looking actors. Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum play a marketing consultant and NASA launch director who team up to stage a “backup” recording of the moon landing in case the actual moon-landing attempt fails. Presumably they fall in love, with at least one Sinatra song crooning in the background. — Aisha Harris

National Anthem , in theaters July 12 This is the first feature by photographer Luke Gilford. Charlie Plummer stars as a young man in New Mexico who takes a job at a homestead of queer rodeo performers where, as often happens in films like this, he comes to learn things about himself. I haven't yet seen it, but by all accounts it's a quiet and lyrical movie that tells a queer story that isn't rooted in trauma and tragedy, but in self-discovery and finding your people. It arrives at a time when those stories are much needed. — Glen Weldon

Sing Sing , in theaters July 12 (limited), Aug. 2 (wide) One current rule: If it has Colman Domingo in it, it will be worth watching. Sing Sing is about a man played by Domingo who is incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit and who joins the New York prison's theater program to produce a comedy with his fellow inmates. The movie's publicity campaign makes some broad claims (including that it's a "true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art"), but if it lives up to them the way its early reviews suggest, it will be special. — Linda Holmes

Twisters , in theaters July 19 The most intriguing thing about this sequel to the classic, bombastic disaster movie Twister is that it's directed by Lee Isaac Chung , who directed Minari — one of the least bombastic films in recent memory. Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones star in this sequel, which certainly tries in its trailer to call to mind the goofy, special-effects-heavy, not-actually-advisable-in-a-storm feeling of the original. Will it have a plot? Who knows? Does it need a plot? Probably not! — Linda Holmes

Deadpool & Wolverine , in theaters July 26 Marvel may be releasing only one superhero movie this year, but it’s a double-header, with two regenerative dudes in spandex — one joke-spewing and disfigured, the other snarling and adamantium-clawed — teaming up to save something or other. Technically, it's Ryan Reynolds' movie, so he'll be setting the tone, meaning lotsa laughs. What? — you say — Wolverine died in his last movie? Well, to that I say ... multiverse … or time-shift … or who cares, if Hugh Jackman’s willing to come back. — Bob Mondello

Dìdi , in theaters July 26 Thirteen-year-old Chris begins Sean Wang's semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age dramedy trading insults with his older sister, and he ends it choked up as she leaves home (and him) for college. In between, there are pranks, misadventures, a clumsy first romance and an ill-advised attempt to ingratiate himself with some cool high school skateboarders by claiming to be an expert filmmaker. The film, which charmed at Sundance, is a lot like its pint-size hero — cute, exasperating, promising. — Bob Mondello

Kneecap , in theaters Aug. 2 Raw, raunchy, violent and uproarious, this origin story of the titular Irish-language hip-hop group is both a riot and a call to arms. Filled with the fury of a populace that had to fight for the right to keep its own language, the film features rappers Naoise Ó Cairealláin and Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, as well as the mild-mannered substitute music teacher who became their DJ, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, playing themselves — entirely professionally — through sex scenes, police beatings and drug-fueled jam sessions. — Bob Mondello

Elliot Page in Close to You. Me+You Productions hide caption

Close to You , in theaters Aug. 16 With Elliot Page , in his first movie role in six years, playing a trans man who's wary about attending his first family reunion since his transition, this story already had hooks for audiences. Throw in reports that the film's scenes were mostly improvised on the day of shooting, and it sounds like an emotional high-wire act. Page, who came out as trans in 2020, is also involved with another queer coming-of-age story this summer, as executive producer for the cheerleading tale Backspot . — Bob Mondello

Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane in Between the Temples. Sean Price Williams/Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

Between the Temples , in theaters Aug. 23 A depressed cantor (Jason Schwartzman) who can't sing since his wife's death gets an odd request while teaching bar/bat mitzvah classes at his synagogue. His septuagenarian grade-school music teacher (Carol Kane) recognizes he's foundering and wants to help, so she asks him to tutor her for a late-in-life bat mitzvah. He resists, she insists, and things go predictably Harold and Maude from there in plot terms, though Schwartzman and Kane bring their own quirks. — Bob Mondello

Apple’s big-budget F1 movie finally has a release date, hitting cinemas worldwide

The highly-anticipated Apple Original Films project has finally gotten a release date. The as-yet-untitled F1 movie, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, will premiere in cinemas on June 25, 2025, with a North America release on June 27.

The film will later stream exclusively on Apple TV+ , Apple’s streaming service. The theatrical distribution, which will include IMAX screens, is being handled by Warner Bros in partnership with Apple.

The F1 film is directed by Joseph Kosinski, the director behind smash hit Top Gun: Maverick. Kosinski has said they are using cutting-edge camera rigs to capture the feel of the cars in motion like never before. The actors drive in specially-designed F2 cars that have been modified to look like an F1 car. The rumored budget for the movie is believed to be in excess of $250 million.

Filming has taken place across the last year at many real F1 circuits, during real Grand Prix race weekends. Production was halted during 2023 by the strike, however. The cast and production crew are expected to appear at a few more races during the 2024 F1 season, until filming concludes.

Although still officially untitled, the project is generally referred to as ‘Apex F1’, as the fictional racing team in the film is called Apex. Brad Pitt plays a former driver who returns to the grid to help out his teammate, played by Damson Idris. The cast also includes other big names, including Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies, and Sarah Niles.

For this year, Apple Original Films slate includes another Brad Pitt vehicle, ‘Wolfs’, which is dated for theatrical distribution on September 20. In action comedy ‘Wolfs’, Brad Pitt teams up with George Clooney as two fixers assigned to the same job.

See everything coming to Apple TV+ in our comprehensive guide .

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Critic’s Pick

‘Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution’ Review: Beyond the Punchline

A new Netflix documentary showcases comedy as a source of queer liberation, featuring Margaret Cho, Tig Notaro, Joel Kim Booster and more.

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By Chris Azzopardi

The director Page Hurwitz examines comedy’s place in the L.G.B.T.Q. movement in the new Netflix documentary “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution,” creating a rich, century-long timeline full of archival footage, behind-the-scenes glimpses and candid interviews with comedians. A standout subject is the 82-year-old trailblazer Robin Tyler, the first out lesbian on national TV.

Throughout the film, Hurwitz showcases comedy as more than just a source of laughter, but of healing, catharsis and as an agent for queer liberation, particularly during the Stonewall riots in 1969 and, later, the AIDS epidemic.

L.G.B.T.Q. comedians were already on hand for “Outstanding” — in 2022, many of them, including Lily Tomlin, Wanda Sykes and Billy Eichner, performed on the same stage during “Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration,” a Netflix standup special hosted by Eichner. The backstage footage from that special captured something that feels revolutionary, echoing Margaret Cho’s assertion that “queer comedy was really a solace” when she achieved fame in the 1990s.

Many of the best moments in “Outstanding” occur when it draws connections between idols and admirers. A simple moment between Joel Kim Booster and Cho is made powerful through thoughtful editing: Cho, in a voice-over, describes the joy that queer comedy can evoke as we see Booster experiencing it among his peers.

The film also addresses transphobic jokes by comedians like Dave Chappelle and Bill Maher, and ends with an acknowledgment of the anti-transgender bills being passed nationwide.

“There’s no such thing as just kidding,” Tyler, the pioneering comedian, says. “So if anybody does homophobic jokes, they mean it.” The fight is still no laughing matter.

Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

‘Brats’ Review: Hulu’s Brat Pack Doc Doubles as a Group Therapy Session

Andrew McCarthy directs the nostalgic documentary about the group to which he's always reluctantly belonged.

By Michael Nordine

Michael Nordine

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For viewers of a certain age — or, perhaps more likely at this point, most ages — the term “Brat Pack” evokes nostalgia at its fondest. Movies like “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink” remain rites of passage for teenagers coming of age nearly 40 years later, and few would argue that the 1980s didn’t represent a high-water mark for teen movies. For actual members of that coterie of actors, it’s a little more complicated.

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There’s a visceral impact to the word “brat” nevertheless — it’s a clever play on the original Rat Pack, of course, but doesn’t evoke youth so much as petulance and immaturity. As McCarthy says to Estevez, “Marty Scorsese, Steven Spielberg’s not going to call up somebody who’s in the Brat Pack.” Estevez, for his part, once passed on a project whose screenplay he called “one of the best I’d read in a long time” because McCarthy was also attached to it and he feared how yet another Brat Pack movie would be received. That script, “Young Men with Unlimited Capital,” was never produced.

A few would-be interviewees are missing in action. McCarthy fails to track down Judd Nelson despite repeated attempts (the phrase “undisclosed location” is used, somewhat ominously) and can’t convince Molly Ringwald to sit down for an interview either, though anyone curious for her thoughts on this phase of her life would do well to read her thoughtful New Yorker article about it in the wake of #MeToo. Also conspicuous in his absence is Ringwald’s “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles” co-star Anthony Michael Hall, a Brat Packer by any definition who’s never even mentioned by name here. Given that one portion of the film is literally devoted to asking interviewees which actors they consider to have been part of the club — including Brat Pack-adjacent performers like Jon Cryer and Lea Thompson — the fact that Hall receives nary a mention is odd indeed.

McCarthy does land one surprising interview subject, however: the writer who couldn’t have known the long-lasting impact his turn of phrase would end up having. Blum isn’t exactly apologetic, stressing that a journalist isn’t supposed to be his subject’s friend and he doesn’t have any regrets. Though the former New York contributor doesn’t acquit himself especially well despite largely being right, McCarthy seems to have gotten what he needed from the experience. Whether that’s true of viewers may depend on their fondness for him and his cohort, but there’s clearly no shortage of that all these years later.

Reviewed online, June 17, 2024. Running time: 93 MIN.

• Production: An ABC News Studios and Neon presentation of a Network Entertainment production. Producers: Adrian Buitenhuis, Derik Murray. Executive producers: Brian Gersh, Paul Gertz, Brian Liebman, Andrew McCarthy, Dan O'Meara, Tom Quinn, Victoria Thompson, Michael Willis, Kent Wingerak.
• Crew: Director: Andrew McCarthy. Editor: Tony Kent. Cinematographers: Evans Brown, Adrian Buitenhuis, Edward Herrera. Music by: Johannes Winkler.
• With: Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Timothy Hutton, Lea Thompson, Jon Cryer, Bret Easton Ellis.

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