I Love You Forever gets ugly fast in a vapid and nearly unwatchable journey of a toxic relationship’s painfully predictable unraveling. Romance isn’t on the menu as low self-esteem, psychological abuse, and trauma bonding battle for screen time in a cringe-worthy satire of Gen Z dating malaise. There might have been a sliver of connection in the awful dialogue if any of the characters had even a drop of chemistry. None exists where a sawdust dry cast feels mismatched from the start.
Law student Mackenzie (Sofia Black-D’Elia) prepares to get amorous with her truly despicable friend with benefits. Jake (Raymond Cham Jr.) has been Mackenzie’s go-to hookup and couldn’t care less about her except for the easy sex. Their opening conversation is particularly revolting and frames Mackenzie’s personal woes. She’s desperate for affection and doesn’t believe anyone can truly love her.
Bad Romance
1.5
/5
Release Date
February 14, 2025
Runtime
89 Minutes
Director
Cazzie David, Elisa Kalani
Writers
Cazzie David, Elisa Kalani
Producers
Evan Silverberg, Billy Mulligan, Diablo Cody
Pros & Cons
- Explores low-self esteem and insecurity in dating.
- No chemistry between mismatched leads.
- Terrible dialogue plagues an unbelievable romance.
- Vapid characters aren’t likable.
Mackenzie trudges home with a birthday cake for her roommate. Director/co-writer Cazzie David plays the loathsome Ally, a superficial hot mess who’s up to her eyeballs in dating app machinations. They’re joined by Lucas (Jon Rudnitsky), the final member of their group and a generic ‘dude sounding board’ for salacious details. The trio head to Ally’s party, where a stranger makes a big impression.
Mackenzie’s instantly smitten by the handsome and witty Finn (Ray Nicholson), a famous news reporter. She’s swept off her feet on a first date with all the trimmings. Mackenzie’s overjoyed, she’s finally found someone who respects and adores her. Montage months fly by before a late night with her friends reveals Finn’s terrifying dark side.
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Finn reeks of psycho vibes the second he latches on to Mackenzie. His aggressive and controlling behavior should have rung the alarms to run for the hills. The rub is that Mackenzie is so used to being treated like garbage, she’s willing to overlook Finn’s stalker tendencies. He bombards her with texts and messages when she doesn’t instantly respond. Mackenzie then feels guilty…maybe she is being selfish by not being available at his beck and call.
That ridiculous notion falls off a cliff when Finn ups the ante on his lunacy. He does something so beyond the pale, it makes you want to stop watching and take a cold shower. But Mackenzie continues to blame herself and doubles down on trying to keep Finn happy. The characters constantly say, “I love you forever,” as a sign of their increasing and unhealthy codependency. This becomes a putrid catchphrase as the situation devolves further.
Love Hurts
Let’s take a step back and dig deeper into why Mackenzie sticks around. The roots of her self-doubt aren’t explained, but it’s not unrealistic that a beautiful and intelligent young woman would suffer from crippling insecurity. Outward appearances don’t reflect internal sorrow. Mackenzie accepts being used by Jake because she doesn’t value herself. She’ll take affection in any package. Her spirits rise when Finn turns on the love spigot. It’s liberating to be desired and loved, but that dream turns into a nightmare with a completely unbelievable flick of a switch.
I Love You Forever doesn’t work because Mackenzie is always aware of her partners’ motivations. She knows that Jake only wants sex. There’s zero mystery to his horn dog antics. The same calculation should also have been made about Finn. He goes to lengths so extreme that even Mackenzie, despite her self-esteem issues and genuine affection for him, can see the troubling writing on the wall. As such, her actions leading up to the film’s climax are forced.
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Zero Chemistry in an Ugly Movie
Black-D’Elia and Nicholson, who’s inherited his father’s devilish smirk, are miscast here. They never connect in any scene. Their initial meeting in the bar, where sparks supposedly fly, lands with a thud. Then they’re close as peas and carrots after a strained first date with lines like, “What’s your favorite animal?” Filmmaker David, an actress, director, and daughter of the legendary Larry David, falls far short of building truthful exposition to bind her leads. The second act kicks the premise like a can. Finn’s the train wreck that everyone can see coming, and Mackenzie’s the damsel in distress who inexplicably ties herself to the tracks.
Codependency and the psychology of domestic abuse have been handled with tact and honesty in great films; here, it’s treated with insulting flippancy. I Love You Forever grasps for deadpan laughs by mocking dating app travails. Anyone trolling Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, etc., may get a minor chuckle out of David’s primer on naughty emoji double entendres. They’re more likely to swear off dating and embrace celibate solitude after sitting through this film. It’s the perfect Valentine’s Day excursion for breaking up.
I Love You Forever is a production of Entertainment 360, Hantz Motion Pictures, and MXN Entertainment. It is currently in limited theatrical release with a VOD premiere on February 14th from Utopia.
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