Checked on the new Netflix original Always Be My Maybe. I went into it blind, not realizing their was a pop culture bomb in the middle of the movie they had originally kept secret… and then spoiled in the trailer. Since it’s all over social media (and the trailer), I’ll be mentioning it below. If you want a surprise though, the movie is funny and worth watching. Do that, don’t read this.
So Always Be My Maybe is a pretty standard issue romantic comedy. It’s a funny one, but it’s not super original. It’s about a man and woman who were childhood friends but lost contact over the years. They meet again, she a celebrity chef and him an HVAC worker with a go-nowhere band who lives at home with his dad. Will they get together and will her ambition and his lack be a wedge in their relationship?
LIke I said, this is a pretty funny romantic comedy (even before the surprise). I enjoyed the two leads. They are charming and funny together and there’s a genuine story here about work and responsibility that has depth and adds to the meaning of the film. I laughed a fair amount.
The twisty pop culture surprise is that Keanu Reeves makes an extended cameo playing a heightened version of himself. And Reeves is hilarious playing an egotistical, supposedly zen-like but ultimately jerky version of his real persona. This makes the movie take a left turn but they work him into the story and he acts as a challenge and ultimately an encouragement to the leads’ relationship. And to a particularly funny song/rap during the closing credits. Reeves has probably never been better as an actor and comedian and he single-handedly makes the movie better.
So, yeah, this is a fun little romantic comedy with an even more fun twist. But even without that cameo, it’d be a low-key fun little gem of a flick. The lead actors are fun and charming together and the roadblocks the film places in front of them are not the usual shallow thing from lesser rom-coms. I enjoyed this one.
Score: 86