Pop Commentary

“Sweethearts” isn’t your run-of-the-mill rom-com that’s often thrown on streaming services to die these days. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was and I think it could have done well with a theatrical release.

The film is a modern take on “When Harry Met Sally.” It follows two college freshmen who are still dating their high school sweethearts, but they decide to make a pact to both break up with their significant others when they go back home for Thanksgiving. There’s a “will they or won’t they” dynamic between the two leads that’s similar to the 1989 classic that starred Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.

This film stars Kiernan Shipka, who you may recognize from “Mad Men, “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” or most recently, “Twisters,” though her appearance in that blockbuster was, well, brief. Shipka was fabulous in this film and I hope she lands more adult roles like this in the years ahead.

The other lead was Nico Hiraga, who I wasn’t as familiar with. I only recognized him from his roles in “Moxie” and “Booksmart,” both films I also enjoyed. I think he held his own as the co-lead here. He was pretty adorable and had good comedic timing.

My favorite performance was actually from Caleb Hearon, who I only knew from seeing his podcast, “So True,” suggested on YouTube. He played a supporting character, but he totally stole the show for me. He delivered one liners perfectly and was extremely funny even in scenes where he was acting by himself.

I really enjoyed this movie more than I expected to. It had a lot of heart and made me laugh out loud throughout.

I especially liked that the film portrayed the weird time in your life when you first return to your hometown after going to college, when you feel like a new person but you also revert back to your childish ways when you’re back in a familiar environment. I also loved the narrative surrounding the gays in the small town. The film explored the idea that you can find queer community nearly everywhere, not just big cities. I found the relationship between Hearon’s character and the characters played by Joel Kim Booster and Tramell Tillman to be really sweet and a great subplot.

Other than Hearon, the movie had great comic beats, especially during a house party scene at their college and a bar scene in their hometown. It was filled with raunchy humor that harkened back to teen comedies of the late 1990s, like “American Pie.”

One criticism I have for the film is that I could have done without the romantic love interest for Hearon’s character. It seemed a little rushed and the way they started to hangout didn’t seem very organic or realistic. I would have taken that relationship out of the film and used the time to develop some more back story for the relationships that the main characters are on a mission to end. I think this would have made me feel more empathy for their significant others, who were played by Charlie Hall and Ava DeMary.

Overall, I would recommend this movie to others, especially if you’re looking to laugh during a relaxing night at home. I’m a sucker for a coming-of-age movie and this was a good one!