There have been so many rom-coms over the years, audiences have honestly become numb to the standard formulas used for so many of these films. That is why Dating & New York is such a breath of fresh air.
Sure, it takes place in New York City, which seems to be the cinematic capital of the rom-com. But this is different. These are two early twenty-somethings who are trying to navigate the pratfalls of early adulthood and it is not necessarily going so well. Now, they have their friends and the “thrill” of dating and finding that special someone. But this is different. This isn’t Tom Hanks running into Meg Ryan somewhere, this is in the era of the dating app. It is one of these apps that bring our protagonists together, mostly for the better… but there are always challenges along the way that add to the drama and the mystery of the ultimate question—will they, or won’t they?
Francesca Reale is Wendy and Jaboukie Young-White is Milo. The latter has dreams of being a stand-up comedian, which is not necessarily firing on all cylinders. Wendy is a light and everywhere she goes she lights up a room. There is an undeniable spark between the two with banter that feels fresh, humorous, and endearing. As thespians, there is a true spark between the two, and that is the key. The audience will pull for these two to make it work, but what is so nice about Dating & New York, is that nowhere along the way is it a given that these two will be “the ones” to each other. You have to give props to a tried and true formula like the rom-com that can keep an audience guessing as to whether this cinematic journey will be joy or pain.
That lies wholeheartedly in the writing of writer-director Jonah Feingold, who has delivered his first true cinematic announcement that cuts across the noise that is the massive Hollywood release schedule and should have people standing up to take notice. There is an even hand to what he delivers with Dating & New York that does several things. We have protagonists, and their friends for that matter—played by Catherine Cohen’s Jessie and Brian Muller as Hank, that we genuinely care about. We are invested emotionally in these characters and as such are all-in for this journey right until the end.
Reale is a complicated soul and a mystery that slowly gets unraveled by the conclusion of the movie. She starts with someone who wants friends with benefits from Milo and even sets up a contract to ensure that they “stick to the rules” of such an endeavor. This could only work as well as it does by how the actress handles the ins and outs of this complicated effort. Their friends, heck everyone, say it will always lead to someone having their heartbroken. We know that is true. But it doesn’t matter. We follow along with the entire thing because of Feingold’s almost fairy-tale telling of a New York City love story that doesn’t let us go.
Young-White is affable as can be. He has a self-deprecating manner that drives his humor and overall, his personality. He handles being single as best he can, but he is truly his best-loving someone and that comes through in his moments with Wendy. We can see why he, and her too for that matter, think about the other so much. Time goes by and this relationship intensifies as a friendship (with benefits). But complications arise when other suitors enter pictures… a surefire sign that something else is amuck here!
The thing about Dating & New York is that it keeps you guessing and for a spat, it may even seem like this is another doomed Manhattan area romance, a casualty of life in the fast lane that is one of the best cities in the world. Instead, the entire picture feels like a fairy tale where even the garbage piling up on the city’s streets can seem romantic.
Grade: B+