For the all the love-struck individuals out there whose love for that special someone would cause you to, in the words of Bruno Mars, catch a grenade for her, then imagine this. Imagine moving from city to city, barely scraping by on the $40 a day you can make as a curbside clown so that you can get by purely on the knowledge that you’re living in the same city as the one who has your heart.

Ironically for Will Donner (Tom Sturridge), he found his heart in San Francisco … and any other city that Emma Twist (Rachel Bilson) inhabits. He had loved her since they were kids, but after his parents were killed in a tragic train accident, Will was forced to leave Emma. They were pen pals for a while, but then that stopped too; Will couldn’t cope with the prospect of being far and disconnected from her. So he did what any normal, sane man would do: He followed her across the country without telling her. When Emma returned home to be at her father’s deathbed, Will hitch hiked back to their hometown. His condescending, though very concerned, older brother (Scott Mechlowicz) and his childhood friends (Nikki Blonsky and Nelson Franklin) encouraged him to speak to Emma and reveal the shocking truth about what he has been doing for the past decade.

However, Emma has enough trouble as it is. She returns to her father and mother (Richard Jenkins and Blythe Danner) who bicker in order to cope with his impending death, and Emma is having serious problems with her sitcom co-star boyfriend (Matthew Davis). When Will suddenly comes back into her life, Emma is at first taken by his youthful spirit and connection to her once happy and simple life, but may not be prepared for his intense love and dedication.

Aptly titled Waiting For Forever, the film takes several fantastical approaches to the issues it tackles, particularly in regards to the romance between Will and Emma, which, thanks to a less than simmering chemistry between Sturridge and Bilson, is not so appealing. Will isn’t a character for whom we want to give a drop of sympathy. He is certifiably crazy, not only because of his stalking habits, but because Emma is an uninteresting character who doesn’t deserve his time or energy.

Jenkins and Danner are delightful, and Sturridge is endearing for the material he is forced to put up with. However, star power and romantic undertones can’t save the film from failing to meet our expectations.

Grade: C



Waiting For Forever releases in theaters Feb. 4.