In his continued attempt to make Harry Potter disappear, Daniel Radcliffe signed on to a lighthearted, Toronto-set romantic comedy titled The F Word for director Michael Dowse (Goon). Despite some good reviews out of last year’s Toronto film festival (including our 3.5 star take), The F Word had its title neutered in the United States, where it has been given the rather generic moniker, What If. Now, the film is getting ready to hit theatres and to amp up anticipation, a new trailer has been released.
Radcliffe stars as a lovelorn med school dropout named Wallace, who falls for a sweet girl named Chantry, played by Zoe Kazan. While he wants to initiate a relationship with her, Wallace is unhappy to find that she only wants to be friends, as she is currently in a long-term relationship with Ben, played by Life of Pi‘s Rafe Spall. Rounding out the cast is future Star Wars thespian Adam Driver and Halt and Catch Fire‘s Mackenzie Davis.
Judging by what we see here, What If looks like a cross between That Awkward Moment and When Harry Met Sally, which could make it an interesting entry into the genre. Radcliffe has received much praise for his role, while Kazan seems to be filling her Manic Pixie Dream Girl quota a little bit too much. Still, it is nice to see Toronto portrayed on the big screen in a film that is not horror or directed by David Cronenberg.
Considering that new movie trailer guidelines suggest that ads should be trimmed to about two minutes, it is strange that What If‘s first preview runs more than three minutes. As a result, the first look at the film is chock full of spoilers. It’s bizarre that the studio would want to reveal so much out of the gate. Perhaps they’re hoping that Radcliffe’s appeal will be enough to get audiences in their seats when the comedy opens on August 1st?
If you don’t want to know much more beyond the general synopsis above, you may want to avoid watching this trailer. If you need your Radcliffe fix, though, then the footage below could cast a spell on you.
Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section.
