Review Maybe I Will – Review on FilmTotaal
Director: michael jacobs | Script: michael jacobs | Cast: Diane Keaton (Grace), Richard Gere (Howard), Susan Sarandon (Monica), William H. Macy (Sam), Emma Roberts (Michelle), Luke Bracy (Allen), ea | Time to play: 95 minutes | Year: 2023
Michelle wants nothing more than to marry her boyfriend Allen, but he hesitates because he wonders if the feelings he now has for her are future-proof. Michelle’s mother invites Allen’s parents in the hope that the young couple can get married. But the four parents are actually all in a marriage that isn’t exactly working well, and that can’t be hidden during the reunion.
On the American poster of Maybe I will Emma Roberts and her male counterpart stand out in the middle. It looks like a movie for twentysomethings and thirtysomethings. That’s a separate marketing option, because it largely revolves around the other characters played by Hollywood greats in their seventies. Great, because those four household names aren’t seen very often in the movies these days. But being old is also a hot topic and a young audience doesn’t get excited about it.
The poster looks cheerful and rightly so. The humorous content is superior to the drama, but it is not a superficial film. The jokes are not subtle, but completely dry. So dry that some viewers will wonder if they should have laughed at something. The first scene takes place in a cinema where the Scandinavian drama is mocked. Moments later, Diane Keaton drops a bible at a cleaner’s house, returning with a handful of soaps.
The biggest fun is in the conflict between Michelle’s parents and Allen’s. The viewer has knowledge that the characters themselves don’t yet have, so that means looking forward to how their encounter will end. That hit takes a while, because the first half is mostly getting acquainted.
This takes the form of conversations. Maybe I will It is a film of pure dialogue. It is, again, a film adaptation of a play. From start to finish, the energy is in the talks, packed with performances from the overrated cast. There are no pretty images, everything is portrayed in a simplistic way so that the focus remains on the actors. The level is as if Diane Keaton’s pants were up: high.
The position of having to get married is typically American. If you don’t get married, apparently love is not sincere. But the origin and evolution of your problem is well executed. All first world problems, but oh well. Maybe I will It’s not a Nancy Meyers movie, but it feels like it: rich white Americans in closets at home who aren’t completely happy with their lives.
To enjoy the story you have to accept the universe. And the great influence of religion on some Americans. And the extremely insane cause of the great controversy. It’s very understandable if that turns you off, but if you can turn that knob, it’s a pleasant treat to indulge in a simple farce.