As kids, we are spoon-fed magical fairytales. We’re told that at some point (typically in our early 20s) that our perfect partner with miraculously come into our lives and sweep us off our feet. Netflix’s newest movie Always Be My Maybe rejects all of that noise. Unless by some miracle you’ve had a picturesque romance with your high school sweetheart, you’ll learn by your mid-20s that fairytales and romantic comedies are big fat lies, and if we read too much into them, they will surely set us up for failure. Thankfully, Always Be My Maybe’s take on romance and relationships is both brutally honest and breathtakingly refreshing. Helmed by director Nahnatchka Khan and starring Randall Park and Ali Wong who also co-wrote the film’s script–Always Be My Maybe is rom-com for now.
Set in San Francisco, Park and Wong star as Marcus and Sasha respectively. The pair are childhood besties who stay tight until a big blowup right after high school graduation sends them in two very different directions. Fast forward 16 years, Sasha is a global culinary sensation with a douchey hotshot fiancé (Daniel Dae Kim) and Marcus is still living at home, helping his father with the family heating and cooling business. He’s also been playing in the same band for the past two decades.
Moving back to San Fran from Los Angeles for three months to open yet another restaurant, Sasha runs into Marcus. After some awkwardness and letting go of a bit of hurt, the pair seemingly pick up where they left off 16 years ago. They begin to muddle their way through their history and emotional attachments while getting to know each other as adults. At first, things are pretty chill, both Marcus and Sasha are seeing other people, but as circumstances draw them towards one another, they soon realize that despite their differences and past missteps–they just might bring out the best in each other.
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