Wait List: A Love-ish Story Review: A Mature Romantic Drama!

Wait List: A Love-ish Story, directed by Debra Markowitz, is a romantic dramedy that explores the complications of an age-gap relationship. Rather than presenting the romance as a simple fantasy or taboo shock factor, the film takes a more grounded approach, focusing on the emotional reality of two people who are drawn to each other despite the judgment surrounding them. With a runtime of nearly two hours, the film leans heavily into the drama side of the story while still maintaining moments of humor and warmth.

Related – Leviticus Review: A Fearful Coming-of-Age Horror!

The story follows Carter Morgan (26), who has secretly had feelings for Lisa Chase (40 something), the mother of his childhood best friend, for years. After learning that Lisa has recently divorced, Carter finally decides to act on his feelings. What begins as an unexpected physical attraction and lust gradually turns into something deeper and more meaningful. However, their growing relationship is met with resistance from almost everyone around them forcing them to question whether it’s is worth the complications that come with it.

One of the stronger aspects of the film is the way it handles the subject matter. It would have been easy for the movie to lean into the more scandalous side of the relationship, but instead it takes its time exploring the emotional side of things. At first, the relationship between Carter and Lisa feels rooted more in attraction, enjoyment and lust, but over time it develops into something more serious and meaningful. That gradual progression makes the relationship feel more believable and interesting.

The film also spends a lot of time showing why these two people maybe should not be together. There is constant back and forth between them, with Carter often believing that their relationship can realistically work and Lisa repeatedly telling him that he should be with someone closer to his own age. Even when they try to step away from each other, they keep finding themselves pulled back together multiple times. That push-and-pull dynamic gives the movie a lot of its emotional tension and practicality.

Another important part of Wait List: A Love-ish Story is how it explores the judgment that comes from other people. Carter’s parents, in particular, struggle to understand why he would want to be with someone close to his mother’s age. The movie does a good job of showing how uncomfortable and complicated those conversations can be without making anyone feel completely unreasonable.

The performances from the two leads are also strong. Travis Grant and Bec Fordyce have enough chemistry to make the relationship work, and both actors handle the more emotional scenes well. The biggest issue with the film is its length. At nearly two hours, it does start to feel a little too long for this type of story. Some tighter editing could have helped the pacing and made the film feel more focused. Also, I felt that the relationship between the couple started too quickly; a bit more groundwork could have helped.

Overall, this movie is a thoughtful and surprisingly mature romantic drama that takes an unconventional relationship and treats it with care. It may run longer than necessary, but its honesty and strong lead performances make it a decent watch. You can now rent and stream ‘Wait List: A Love-ish Story’ on Prime Video.

‘Wait List: A Love-ish Story’ Rating – 3.5/5