Thirty-three years have passed since the release of Pretty Woman and we are rediscovering Richard Gere in a new romantic comedy carried not by Julia Roberts, but by her niece discovered in American Horror Story, Emma Roberts. Directed by Michael Jacobs and available on Paramount+, Yes, I Want It brings together an exceptional cast seen in the romantic feature films that have marked the history of cinema. Several stories intersect and end up coming together in this film with a promising plot: Michelle and Allen would like their parents to meet in the event of getting married. Problem is, when Sam and Monica, Allen’s parents, go for the first time to Michelle’s, Grace and Howard’s, to share a dinner, they realize that they already know each other: Monica is the mistress of Howard, while Grace spent a night alongside Sam the day before. Enough to prevent the marriage of the two soulmates… The juicy plot is enough to delight fans of the genre, but does it keep its promises?
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Yes, I want it: a romantic comedy that smells reheated
Yes, I Do sets up three distinct stories, right from the start of the film. One of them recounts the meeting in a cinema between Grace (Michelle’s mother) and Sam (Allen’s father). The two protagonists spend the evening together and even rent a room in a seedy motel. Across town, Grace is unaware that her husband is in a luxury hotel room with Monica, Allen’s mother, with whom he has been dating for four months. Meanwhile, young couple Michelle and Allen spend the evening at their friends’ wedding and argue about their future. While the two lovebirds return separately to their respective parents, they have the idea of organizing the first meeting between in-laws with the aim of getting married.
The first part of the film sets up too slowly, punctuated by the three different scenes which take place simultaneously and leave little suspense as to the fact that the stories will eventually intertwine. When this long-awaited meeting finally arrives, we hope that the pace of the film will accelerate but, although the plot is interesting, the scenes always leave room for too much length. The few passages that make us smile do not manage to erase the overly theatrical dialogues of the characters, who blabber about romantic relationships with ready-made phrases and meaningless proverbs. Yet supported by an exceptional cast bringing together stars of romantic comedies, Yes, I Want It does not transcend the genre and reheats already used scenarios, concluding with a happy ending which is not necessarily expected…
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Yes, I want it marks the reunion of several cult duos
The cast of the film was, however, attractive. After the feature film Arbitrage, which won the Golden Globes for Best Actor in a Drama Film for Richard Gere, the latter reunited with his accomplice Susan Sarandon ten years later, playing the roles of Howard and Monica respectively. It is also the reunion between Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey, who lend their features to the young couple Michelle and Allen, after starring in the Netflix film Holidate. Diane Keaton, known for her major roles, including The Godfather, and William H. Macy, seen in Shameless and Jurassic Park 3, complete the film’s cast.