SXSW 2024 Review: “I Love You Forever” – A Tonal Disaster!

To put it simply, rom-coms have been stuck in the gutter for years, relying on streaming services (like Netflix) to pop them out one by one with little to no life directed or written into them. Although some may disagree and explain how these films are fantasies that whisk us away from our daily problems that allow us to unwind at the end of the day, there has always been this idea that romantic comedies have a low bar and if you can’t just have “fun,” you need to lighten up.

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This statement greatly undermined the ability for art to not only be entertaining, but have something worthwhile to say, as rom-coms in the past such as 500 Days of Summer, 13 Going on 30, and About Time, to name a few, prove that this genre do not need to settle for a low bar.

I Love You Forever fits into this category but in a more unsettling way. It follows Mackenzie (Sofia Black-D’Elia), a woman in her mid 20s stuck in the “friends with benefits” stage of dating, unable to move forward into a real relationship. Her best friends Lucas and Ally are two more examples to display the tough dating world out there in the 21st century where dating apps and awkward bar hook-ups are the norm. When Mackenzie meets news anchor Finn at a party she feels like she has finally found what she is looking for, until she realizes Finn is an emotionally abusive and toxic partner.

A script that meshes comedy and relationship drama that touches on abuse is something that should only be touched by a more talented filmmaker. Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani were unfortunately bit off, and way too much for them to handle in this rocky film. There is a distinct shift in scenes that go from comedic banter between Mackenzie and her friends to situations involving Finn manipulating her.

The sudden shifts of themes feel off balance, and do not flow together well, causing it to come off as David and Kalani wanting to paint a picture of the nuances in a relationship but failing to do so. However, it felt way too structured and redundant to see Finn continue to manipulate Mackenzie with little to no changes made on either side of the relationship.

The biggest elephant in the room of I Love You Forever is the crystal clear image of Finn, played by Ray Nicholson, having severe mental illness that is never once discussed or even brought up in the movie. Although his treatment towards Mackenzie is without a doubt an issue, the signs and symptoms Finn portrays lead the audience to the definite idea that Finn must suffer from anything from borderline personality disorder and manic episodes to intense depression.

Mackenzie continues to tell her friends and herself that she loves Finn, yet it is difficult to get past the fact that if these feelings were true, Mackenzie would have mentioned even once to Finn to seek help. On the other hand, if she doesn’t love Finn, it seems the reality the director duo were trying to get across about women stuck in abusive relationships wouldn’t land if Mackenzie didn’t believe she was really in love with him. As a result, it is difficult to watch this movie seeing mental illness being used as a plot device, not to mention for laughs, without mentioning the obvious. It was disheartening to watch.

By the end of I Love You Forever, it was a challenge to see the perspective and points David and Kalani were trying to make. If it was about the struggles young women must face when in relationships with men, it used a very particular case where her partner was mentally ill, thus creating a specific case as opposed to a universal one, losing the relatability factor.

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Even worse, their script came off by the end as stating that women will be stuck to two types of men in the dating world, those who only want hook-ups and casual relationships or abusive partners. It was a very bleak and pessimistic look at love that was a tonal disaster when it was then trying to be a comedy. I Love You Forever was a strike out for both Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani and was difficult to get through.

‘I Love You Forever’ Rating – 1/5

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