Sweethearts movie review: Sweethearts offers a subversive take on the rom-com genre, tackling the emotional complexities of transitioning from high school to college. Directed by Jordan Weiss, this anti-rom-com explores the universal experience of young love and friendship with wit, charm, and a splash of chaos. However, its uneven pacing and underutilized supporting cast prevent it from becoming a standout in its category. With Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga leading the charge, the movie is both a delightful exploration of platonic friendship and a critique of the “turkey dumping” tradition—a ritual of breaking up with high school sweethearts over Thanksgiving.
Sweethearts movie review
Set during Thanksgiving week, Sweethearts follows best friends Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) and Ben (Nico Hiraga) as they navigate their freshman year in college. Both are in long-distance relationships with their high school partners but feel increasingly trapped by these connections. Jamie’s relationship with her football-playing boyfriend Simon (Charlie Hall) has grown stale, while Ben feels suffocated by his overbearing girlfriend Claire (Ava DeMary). Recognizing the toll these relationships are taking, Jamie and Ben make a pact to break up with their respective partners over the holiday.
The story unfolds as the duo devises their plan, leading to a series of misadventures that challenge their emotional maturity. Along the way, they attend a chaotic house party, grapple with their own insecurities, and ultimately confront their feelings about their relationships—and each other.
Sweethearts Official Trailer – Max
Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga deliver engaging performances as Jamie and Ben, infusing their characters with humor and relatability. Shipka, known for her roles in Mad Men and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, brings a guarded vulnerability to Jamie, a character struggling to open up emotionally. Hiraga, a skater-turned-actor, excels as Ben, whose laid-back demeanor hides a deeper frustration with his romantic life.
Their on-screen chemistry is one of the film’s highlights, showcasing a platonic friendship rarely explored with such depth in teen comedies. The dynamic between Jamie and Ben feels authentic, with their banter and mutual support anchoring the narrative. While the film flirts with the best friends-to-lovers trope, it wisely avoids fully committing to this predictable path, focusing instead on the nuances of their friendship.
Jordan Weiss and co-writer Dan Brier craft a script that balances humor with emotional resonance. The dialogue is sharp and reflective of how modern college students speak, capturing the awkwardness and intensity of young adulthood. From Jamie’s lethargic approach to life to Ben’s conflicted feelings about his overdramatic girlfriend, the characters feel grounded in reality.
The film also subverts traditional rom-com gender norms, with Jamie embodying traits often associated with male protagonists in the genre—emotional unavailability and a reluctance to engage in meaningful connections. Meanwhile, Ben is portrayed as affectionate and sensitive, offering a refreshing reversal of stereotypes.
While the central duo shines, the supporting characters lack the depth and memorability needed to elevate the story. Caleb Hearon as Palmer, Jamie and Ben’s friend, delivers some of the film’s funniest moments, but his subplot—centered around his coming out and navigating post-high school life—feels disconnected from the main narrative. Hearon’s comedic timing and charm make him a standout, but the film doesn’t fully integrate his storyline with Jamie and Ben’s journey.
Other supporting characters, such as Claire and Simon, are portrayed as caricatures rather than fully realized individuals. Claire’s obsessive tendencies and Simon’s aloofness serve the plot but lack the nuance needed to make them compelling. This issue is compounded by the film’s pacing, which doesn’t allow enough time for these characters to develop beyond their surface traits.
One of Sweethearts’ biggest challenges is its uneven pacing. Despite its relatively short runtime of 97 minutes, the film often feels sluggish, particularly during scenes that should be brimming with energy. The house party sequence, for instance, has all the ingredients for comedic chaos but is presented in a way that drains it of urgency and humor.
The lack of kinetic energy extends to the film’s depiction of college life, which feels more subdued than vibrant. While this restrained approach may align with the characters’ emotional states, it undermines the comedic potential of the scenarios they find themselves in. Comparisons to Booksmart are inevitable, but unlike Olivia Wilde’s high-energy directorial debut, Sweethearts struggles to maintain momentum.
The film’s setting—an unnamed college and a suburban Ohio town—is serviceable but unremarkable. Notably, the depiction of late November Ohio is surprisingly green, a small but noticeable detail that detracts from the film’s authenticity. However, the Thanksgiving backdrop provides a fitting metaphor for the characters’ emotional upheaval, with the holiday’s themes of reflection and transition mirroring their personal journeys.
At its core, Sweethearts is a story about growth and the challenges of letting go. Jamie and Ben’s decision to break up with their high school partners reflects a broader theme of moving on from the past to embrace the future. Their friendship serves as a source of strength, reminding viewers of the importance of platonic connections during times of change.
The film also touches on the complexities of identity and self-discovery in young adulthood. Jamie’s struggle to form new friendships and Ben’s conflict between loyalty and self-preservation highlight the emotional hurdles of transitioning to college life. These themes resonate, even if the film doesn’t always delve as deeply into them as it could.
Jordan Weiss’ directorial debut is not without its flaws, but it showcases her potential as a filmmaker. The script’s humor and subversive edge set it apart from more formulaic teen comedies, even if the execution doesn’t always match the ambition. With stronger pacing and more dynamic use of the supporting cast, Sweethearts could have been a standout in the genre.
Final Verdict
Sweethearts is a charming and thoughtful anti-rom-com that offers a fresh perspective on young love and friendship. Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga’s performances carry the film, and the script’s witty dialogue provides plenty of laughs. However, its slow pacing, underdeveloped supporting characters, and lack of energy hold it back from reaching its full potential.
For fans of coming-of-age stories and unconventional rom-coms, Sweethearts is worth a watch. While it may not achieve the highs of films like Booksmart, it carves out its own niche with a heartfelt exploration of friendship and self-discovery. Streaming on Max from November 28, this Thanksgiving-themed tale is a bittersweet treat for the holiday season.
Top Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
What keeps “Sweethearts” enjoyable despite its dips into tedium are Shipka and Hiraga, who both have experience with this type of bawdy straight-to-streaming teen movie and prove more than capable of taking on leading roles themselves – Wilson Chapman, indieWire
With Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga delivering winning performances, “Sweethearts” is a “raunch-com” with true heart – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
[Sweethearts] makes a meal out of this inauspicious Thanksgiving tradition that’s plenty spicy and enough sweet – Adrian Horton, Guardian
[Jordan] Weiss and Dan Brier’s screenplay has a solid sense of these characters, a stronger understanding of this friendship, and … good gags… – Mark Dujsik, Mark Reviews Movies
The rare film that grows more confident as it goes, finding its footing after introductions are less than appealing. It recovers nicely, locating ways to get past coarseness and celebrate character – Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray.com
Top Movie Ratings
| Rotten Tomatoes | 64% |
| Screen Rant | 5/10 |
| Imdb | 5.3/10 |
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