By Kyle Flynn

Often, an attendee at a film festival may overlook the lighter fare for films that tackle more serious themes or for films that have a general sense of buzz around their production. This is only amplified by the sheer number of World Premieres and quality programming you can find when searching at a film festival as broad as TIFF. All That She Wants, the newest film from Scarlett Bermingham and Andrew Rhymer, managed to rightfully carve out a lane to success at the festival. 

The film follows Emma, played by the ever-present Annie Murphy, best known for her role in the Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek, a favorite of my mother and mine. After a break-up with her boyfriend and some career pathlessness, she ends up having a one-night stand with a grad student named Luke, played by Cooper Raiff, whom she used to babysit when she was four. What follows is a traditional will-they, won’t they romantic comedy as Emma (and Luke) figures out what she truly wants out of her life. 

I can’t pretend that it isn’t following many of the same cliches that most rom-coms lay their foundation on; it feels comforting and familiar. The journey and pathway the screenplay puts Emma and Luke on succeeds within its scope through the natural charm Annie and Cooper find as they make the characters their own. One of the early scenes featuring Cooper’s character shows him playing an old jazz record for another student/friend/romantic prospect, immediately highlighting his quirks and getting the audience accustomed to his humor. This scene is later called back, too. 

Surprisingly, much of Annie’s emotional journey doesn’t surround the relationship with Cooper as directly as you would imagine. With her relationships with her parents, sister, and future (career as well as maternity) forming much of the stakes in the film. Her relationship with her mother, played by Christine Baranski, felt a little forced to me. I often find myself a tad repellant to Baranski to begin with, especially in her less character-driven roles when she is playing someone’s mother, her appearances in The Big Bang Theory or her minor role in The Birdcage comes to mind but within the context of the film I could not bring myself to care even slightly in her resistance to fixing her stutter or how it inspires the career path it puts Emma on. 

Perhaps the cardinal sin of the movie is how Zosia Mamet, who plays the sister is wasted as a character. Mostly settling for minor emotional and comedic moments through the majority of the film. Still her talent shines through. Outside the central performances there is nothing else to really ride home about, with the edit feeling longer than you would hope with the length of the timeline and the cinematography being rather forgettable.

The charm and versacity that the story is told wih is what makes the viewing experience worthwhile. Moreover, its hard for me not to find enjoyment in an age-gap rom-com. Like any good romantic comedy the film went down painlessly and without too many frills. Annie and Cooper as an anchor in the story work as there chemistry feels palpable. 

🌟 🌟 🌟 stars