The Netflix gods have heard my prayers. “More rom-coms, please,” I often say, in my more soulful moments, to the data-driven powers that be. “And if it’s not too much to ask, can Michelle Buteau have more than one scene in this one?” With “Always Be My Maybe,” the streaming deities have blessed us with their best original romantic comedy yet, surpassing “Set It Up,” “Someone Great,” and even “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” This literal LOL-filled film from sitcom showrunner Nahnatchka Khan doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does provide a genuinely sweet, truly funny film that is sure to be watched and rewatched on many Saturday afternoons on the couch in pajamas. “Watch It Again,” they’ll command from on high (a.k.a. the Los Gatos HQ), and my rom-com-loving brethren and I will obey.
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While “Always Be My Maybe” adheres to plenty of well-worn genre tropes, it does change up the formula with the casting of two Asian-American leads in Ali Wong and Randall Park, telling a story that is rich with cultural details amidst its predictable plot line. It’s specific in the narrative and characters it creates, but it still feels universal and resonant, even if you’ve never had kimchi stew. And after watching this, you will definitely want to have kimchi stew.
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Marcus (Park) and Sasha (Wong) grew up next door to each other in San Francisco, her a latchkey kid with absent parents and him close to his welcoming mom, Judy (Susan Park), and dad, Harry (James Saito). She cooks with Judy, learning traditional Korean recipes. But after spending the ‘90s and early ‘00s inseparable from one another, Marcus and Sasha go their separate ways. In 2019, Sasha has become a celebrity chef in Los Angeles with her Vietnamese restaurant and dates super sexy restaurateur Brandon (Daniel Dae Kim). Meanwhile, Marcus stays close to home – so close, in fact, that he has never left his childhood bedroom and works for his father’s HVAC company and plays in the same band he was in while he was a high school student.
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When they reunite thanks to some maneuvering from mutual friend Veronica (Buteau, upgraded from a single scene in “Someone Great”), all the old affection resurfaces for Marcus. After she breaks up with Brandon, he’s finally ready to tell Sasha how he feels, when she gushes that she has a new guy (Keanu Reeves), and Marcus is forced to keep his feelings quiet. Sure, the plot beats here are familiar, echoing songs we know by heart and mashing up the friends-first vibe of “When Harry Met Sally…” with all the gorgeous interiors of a Nancy Meyers movie, but “Always Be My Maybe” still manages to feel genuine, despite its origins as basically fan service.
Written by Park, Wong, and Michael Golamco (“Please Stand By“), almost every joke here lands, as do the romantic moments. Fans who have seen Wong’s stand-up specials on Netflix, “Baby Cobra” and “Hard Knock Wife,” will find that “Always Be My Maybe” has a similar spirit. But it doesn’t feel like Wong is simply treading the same waters; the film focuses on the importance of being yourself and the challenges of the woman being the more successful one in a relationship and how that affects a couple’s dynamic. Though the plot as a whole may offer nothing new, these jokes are fresh, funny, and specific, and like Wong’s sets, they’re unafraid of getting dirty. However, they aren’t the only thing moving the movie forward. The characters here are well defined, both within themselves and in their relationships with one another. Marcus and Sasha are good together —as are Park and Wong— but Marcus’s relationship with his dad is especially endearing, with Saito’s sweet performance earning almost as many awws as the central romance. Meanwhile, Reeves is only in the movie briefly, but his appearance had our preview audience cackling and cheering, and will likely evoke the same reaction from people watching alone too. Judi Dench won an Oscar for just eight minutes in “Shakespeare in Love,” and Reeves should earn the same accolades for only slightly more screen time here. I’m joking. Kinda. He is perfect.
After running “Don’t Trust the B—-” and “Fresh Off the Boat” on TV, Khan makes her feature directorial debut here. There are a few odd choices in shots, but it’s never enough to distract from the on-screen talent. Overall, it’s a solid first effort that reflects her strengths from her experience in TV, particularly in her work with the cast, though she also really nails the pacing of this longer format.
Despite the fact that its mere title will inevitably get Mariah Carey stuck in your head—okay, maybe because of that fact; the song is still a jam—“Always Be My Maybe” is well worth watching for rom-com fans. Like the kimchi stew it prominently features, this is comfort food at its best. Given its origins, it should feel like something out of a lab, but this is a charming crowd-pleaser in the best sense. [B+]
