'I Want You Back' - Is the Latest Prime Video Film the Best Rom-Com of the Year?

With February 2022 coming to a close, the season of romantic comedy overload has officially ended. To capitalize on the Valentine's Day surge of romance-seeking viewers, the flood of new and old rom-coms on streaming services is seemingly endless. At the top of this year’s pile was I Want You Back, a Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh feature released on Amazon Prime Video. Praised for its writing, enticing premise, and cast led by comedy veterans Jenny Slate and Charlie Day, I Want You Back stands out as the top rom-com of the year so far. Is this film good enough to potentially reach best-of-the-year status, or do great reviews not always lead to a top-notch film? Read below to find out!

In the opening scene of I Want You Back, Emma (Slate) and Peter (Day) both get dumped by their respective partners. Though leading completely separate lives, they bond over their newfound single status after a chance meeting and become fast friends. In their desperation, they hatch a plan together to have the other person infiltrate the life of their ex-partner to break up their ex’s new relationships, thus driving them back into their original relationships. While executing their devious plan, Emma and Peter undergo some life-changing realizations and grow as people.

In short, Jenny Slate and Charlie Day, lovable as they are, prove that I Want You Back is very much not equal to the sum of its parts. Armed with the unique setting of Atlanta and a downright manipulative premise, this R-rated film should be the subversive experience that the reviews claim it to be; instead, it follows a much more conventional narrative than most prospective viewers wanted. Luckily, the way Emma and Peter’s plan unfurls has its unexpected turns, but I Want You Back makes it clear from the beginning where the characters will end up in the final moments of the film (which is not necessarily a bad thing). It’s funny and romantic for sure and earns its title as the best rom-com of the year so far, but just barely.

Rating: 6/10

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Go in with a bit lower expectations on Prime Video today to see the best rom-com of the year so far. Hopefully, we’ll see a lot better ones than I Want You Back in the future!