I grossly underestimated this movie as a 'old wine in a new bottle' cliché after watching the trailer. However, the movie was actually good. Not amazing but quite good. There's a good twist that is pretty unexpected (that's why I like this movie). Also, I got to see a different side of Adam DeVine (not the usual annoying guy trying to make awful jokes). Same goes for Alexandra Daddario. She is always the 'hot girl'in the movies. In this one we see her more as a person than an eye candy, which, honestly, is quite refreshing. I would recommend this movie, along with another movie like this, 'About Time' (starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachael McAdams and Margot Robbie). It's a more complex and intricate version of this film (with a somewhat similar storyline).
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abiromu4 March 2019
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rockman18211 February 2018I have a strong eh feeling for "Netflix original films", some impress most fall flat. The original shows are good, most of the films feel like direct to video and its easy to see why the films don't come to theaters. I had some real hesitation checking When We First Met for two reasons. One, I didn't take confidence in seeing Adam Devine (who is decent in doses) as a leading man. Second, I found the time loop/reliving the same day storyline a little stale since there's been some recent frequent takes on it. Oddly and surprisingly, I had a good time with this one.
The film is about a man named Noah (Devine), who meets the girl of his dreams at a Halloween Party. Three years pass and he has to watch her get engaged to another man. He soon discovers that returning to a photo booth at a jazz bar allows him to travel back in time and relive that Halloween and change his future. Naturally, things go wrong as he tries to woo the girl that he wants most and we get a nice laugh out of Noah's trials and tribulations.
The film had a few funny moments. Some of them caused me to laugh out loud. Devine really worked as a leading man, a lot of the funny would not have been possible with out his unique delivery. The time loop nature of the film wasn't so annoying. I mean, there were times where I felt the story dragged out but it wasn't so easy to predict how Noah was going to get the right formula to end up with the girl he loves. Overall, I can't deny that I was interested the whole way through.
I do have a criticism that is kind of unrelated to the film. Why are internet stars like Andre Bachelor (who got famous off of vines) in so many movies now? I saw him do one with Logan Paul ffs. Yeah, lets keep it it real actors please. A fun time overall, I want to see Netflix bring more quality programming and not some hot garbage (Cloverfield Paradox, I'm looking at you).
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sjd_bulgaria13 May 2018Made me think about my life... my loves and regrets
May be it was a chance or may be it was meant to be that way, one would never know.
If you find that one girl, don't let her go. Everything's gonna turn out fine somehow :)
And of course: "DON'T TOUCH HER ASSHOLE!" :D -
Sergiodave25 September 2020Yet another Groundhog Day, I thought after 15 mins. Yes it is Time travel, but done in a good way, with a surprise ending. The whole story was well done, the acting was very good and the movie made me smile. Well done.
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LittleLotti18 February 2018I don't know why there a bad reviews for this movie. If you watch the trailer you get exactly the movie you're expecting. Obviously this isn't going to be the greatest movie you've ever seen, but it was a decent flick for a Saturday night in. Like most movies that deal with going back in time, WWFM deals with the way fate plays out and how changing things can result in a completely different life - not always the one you were hoping for. Overall though it's not a bad movie. Not riotously funny, but enjoyable. I appreciate that it didn't rely on sex, drugs, or violence like the comedies coming out lately. Call me a prude but the last few comedies I've seen have been utterly tasteless. Anyway, this is a good movie to watch to kill some time or for a night in with friends, but don't expect anything outstanding.
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camwoodring24 June 2021Man, I didn't expect to love this movie. I thought I was just gunna be another movie to stream and pass the time. But I love it. Yea, there are cheesy parts and a semi-predictable story that follows a similar pattern to other groundhogs-day type movies. But it's really good, is hilarious throughout (there are a few lines that made me deeply laugh out loud at). Definitely give this one a watch.
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This film tells the story of a man who travels back in time to ensure he gets the woman he loves.
What I like about this film is that it does feel romantic and quite real as well. It details how people would just go out of their way for love, and sometimes people are uncomfortable in their own skin because they think they are not attractive enough. The characters are very charming as well, I enjoyed watching it. -
salonirmehta17 February 2019From the trailer it would seem like a story of time-traveling and winning back the love of the friend who friend-zoned you. This was what I was expecting when I watched the movie!
However, it pleasantly surprised me with the twist in the story and that 'things happen for a reason'.
A light-hearted, fun movie to watch when you just want to watch a feel-good movie. And a movie which might get you thinking about life and it's oppurtunities as well. -
yellowblack310 February 2018Do you know what is like when you don't want a movie to end? That's exactly what you get by watching that movie. A twist of love, laughter, a good story, that's all you need. I enjoyed it more than expected to be honest and it's being a while since I had that feeling from a film that kind. Perfect cast and good storyline.
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dar041714 February 2020Fun rom-com worth checking out but don't expect anything new in this genre.
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CatfishOpinions28 April 2021I was on the fence on whether to give this movie a 5 or 6, but I'm in a good mood today so here we go.
I'm usually pretty cringed out by these modern netflix original rom-coms, but based off the trailer this one actually seemed like it was going to be more interesting and not as bad. I'm also a sucker for time travel movies so I had to see this one to see how they did it.
I was afraid this movie was going to be hard to watch since adam devine always plays obnoxious, unlikable characters, but in here his humor is a little reeled back and played as more charming and dorky than loud, and he's actually pretty tolerable, even likable at times. You do want to root for him so that's good.
Someone described this movie as Groundhog Day meets 500 Days of Summer, and I completely agree. I'm glad the time travel dynamic isn't heavily explained with a magician or some culturally insensitive evil old woman. Instead it quietly tells the viewer what happened and how it works. And a photo booth is actually a really cool idea for a time machine.
What I really like is how the movie actually flips a convention on its head by making the main character accept that he can't get the girl, and that manipulating time won't actually change her feelings for the other dude. There's one point where noah makes one expression right as he figures this out, and it's kind of a cool scene. You understand his frustration and sadness, and also like him more because you know he's going to do the right thing and be a morally cool dude.
But on the flipside, the other girl that they try to set up with him as the "real" love interest is kind of annoying and she feels forced. I didn't really pick up on any connection between them at the beginning so it feels like a hodge-podge pairing. She's not really all that likable and i think the movie would be much better if either 1) they developed their relationship much more and gave them more chemistry, or 2) just removed her from the equation and have noah end up a single dude at the end, still happy that he's learned something and is ready to move forward. Idk.
The other problem with the movie is just the obvious: it has that slapstick, pop-culture reference kind of humor that's just too cringey and embarrassing for me to take the movie 100% seriously. Instead of a good rom-com with a cringe flavor, it's a cringe rom-com with a good flavor. It's on the much better end of these weird movies, but it still has enough modern cringe vibes to prevent me from liking it much more.
Other than that, there were actually a few pretty good jokes (angus young hopping away angrily made me genuinely laugh out loud) and the rest aren't so bad as to be insufferable or painful at all. I expected a cringey, un-romantic millennial movie and was pleasantly relieved that it was a little better than that. It's worth a watch. -
dhaha-1810110 February 2018Honestly, I went into this movie with low expectations, and I came out pleasantly surprised and amused. I like Adam Devine, especially his work in Workaholics, and find him quite funny. Alexandra Daddario, in my most humble opinion, is such a total BABE; so fine omg. Anyway, I digress; this movie was just super wholesome and left you with a good warm feeling when you finished it. Sure it was cliche at moments and you could basically predict the plot if you're an avid movie watcher, but I don't think that takes away from the movie in general. If you came into this movie expecting an oscar-winning crazy complex contemporary movie that made you really think about it's major themes and underlying messages then I'm sorry but you're going to be sorely disappointed. However, if you go into this movie with an open mind, a fun mood, and some popcorn, I believe you will come to enjoy this movie for what it is: a Wholesome Feelgood Romcom.
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Hellmant16 February 2018'WHEN WE FIRST MET': Three Stars (Out of Five)
A romantic comedy about a guy who travels back in time, multiple times, in an attempt to get out of the 'friend zone' with the girl of his dreams. It stars Adam Devine, Alexandra Daddario, Shelley Hennig, Robbie Amell and Andrew Bachelor. It was directed by Ari Sandel (who also helmed 2015's 'THE DUFF'), and it was written by Devine and John Whittington (who also co-wrote 'THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE' and 'THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE'). The film was released by Netflix through it's streaming site. I found it to be mildly amusing.
Noah Ashby (Devine) has been hopelessly in love with his best friend Avery Martin (Daddario), ever since the night they met. He felt that night went perfect, but she has kept him in the 'friend zone' ever since (and now she's engaged to someone else). Upon making a wish in a picture booth, to make things different, Noah travels back in time to the night he met Avery. When he doesn't set things right the first time, he keeps traveling back in time (to the same night) in a desperate attempt to get it right.
The movie has a cool premise, and it's kind of a unique new twist on the time traveling flick, but other than that it's kind of simple and unoriginal. Devine is good in it though, and he's always funny in my opinion. Daddario's character is pretty unlikable though, in my opinion as well, and I had a hard time even relating to why he's so in love with her. It's also pretty obvious, the entire film, who he should be pining after. The film, like most movies, has it's positives and negatives, and I'll give it a slightly above average rating for them. -
Jared_Andrews16 February 2018Remember the movie, Groundhog Day? Of course you do. It's wonderful. Bill Murray plays a man who, while reliving the same day over and over again, learns how to treat people better, make them happier, and in turn make himself happier. The movie, When We First Met is kind of like that except the jokes aren't as funny and the rules don't make sense and he sometimes flashes forward in time and it's a much worse movie.
Here's a quick overview of the plot. Noah (Adam Devine) loves his friend Avery (Alexandra Daddario), but she's engaged to Ethan (Robbie Amell). While drinking heavily out of sadness that he missed his chance with the girl of his dreams, Noah uses a magic photobooth to jump back in time to the night that he met Avery. His second chance with her goes well until it doesn't. Then he tries again and again and... you get the idea.
The premise is fun enough. I actually like the idea quite a bit. The issue is that the movie just has so many holes. The plot doesn't make sense when given even an ounce of thought. What are the rules of his time jumps? Are there any? Some things he remembers. Others he doesn't. There is no discernable plan behind it all, other than to reach for cheap laughs whenever possible. It seems like the writer didn't have a very clear vision of the world that he built. In other words, he butchered the Groundhog Day model.
I like Adam Devine. He has a likable aura in all his roles even when he does something unsavory. In this role, he goes for it in every scene, even when I'm sure he knew the line didn't work or didn't make sense. I commend him for his effort. He almost sold it at certain points, but he was severely held back by the script.
A lot of the jokes didn't land. Then they would come up again later, and they would not land again. It was a double-whammy of jokes bombing terribly. The funniest scene in the movie comes when Noah visualizes the moment Avery met Ethan at a grocery store. I won't spoil it, but the image is good for a hearty chuckle.
A big problem with the movie is that I didn't quite believe a lot of it. With comedies, they work if I believe what is happening and they work if I know that I'm suspending my disbelief and laughing at how absurd things are. But when the events pose as rational but aren't quite there, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I can deal with the unbelievability of the time jumping, but I can't deal with inconsistently enforced rules within the time jumping. Even the ridiculous plot points need to be grounded in some form of rational thought. On the positive side, I liked all the performers. I think any of them could fit in fine in a well-made movie. I'm not sure any one of them is capable of carrying a weak script, which is the challenge they faced here. I'd like to see all of them receive more opportunities.
Somehow, despite all my gripes, I still found myself caring about the ending. It's the best part. It's fairly predictable but handled just warmly and delicately enough that I couldn't complete hate the entire movie. I must be a sucker for romance or Adam Devine or both.
With that said, I don't recommend this movie. I suggest selecting any of a number of far superior romantic comedies that line the walls of Netflix and Amazon Prime. -
kosmasp1 June 2018Usually time travel movies are open for criticism. In this case, I think this will get a pass. And I myself didn't think too much about it. I think towards the end there was a way to make it more coherent or put a layer on it all, but even if the movie misses that opportunity to be clear, it still does not miss on being funny and light hearted.
The acting is more than decent although I guess some people may have issues with some of the actors. I have a friend who dislikes Kevin Hart, he just doesn't think he's funny. So while I like the main actor (and not just because he was in Pitch Perfect), some others may have a different opinion. All in all, this is entertaining and feels like it goes by like a breeze (even the fact it's predictable does not matter that much or the fact there are plot holes, again time thing and all) ... -
Kamurai257 June 2020Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.
A small twist on the butterfly effect trope, centered on the night he thought he met his perfect girl. Being that we have a movie about this, it has to go wrong, repeatedly, until he has an epiphany and makes one more attempt to do it right: that's just the formula.
While I'm not always a fan of Adam Devine, he plays off of Alexandra Daddario and Shelly Hennig.
The movie does waste some time on establishing scenes and timelines that we basically already saw or are about to throw away, but some of that is the trope.
Overall it's a nice touching story about self discovery and what the lengths to find "the one" can be, it just involves a time loop. -
ccave-626203 April 2019The premise of time travel in movies has always been that one small change in the past can have very dramatic changes to the present. Given how promising the movie started off, I was excited to see how the different scenarios would play out. Unfortunately, the various story lines fell short. Each new variation of Avery and Noah seemed random and disconnected, and completely out of character.
Most notably, given what a nice guy Noah is portrayed as, and the strong feelings he has for Avery, why would them hooking up lead to a 3 year "friends with benefits" style relationship where they are hardly even friends, and Noah is (as he puts it) "full asshole"? Perhaps more of an explanation was needed.
The writers tried so hard to show that Avery and Noah didn't belong together, that the story lines seemed forced and extreme. In each story line you could have replaced Avery with Carrie, the inevitable soulmate, or any random girl for that matter, and the relationship would have failed. It would have had more of an impact if the different variations of their 3 years together were genuine and more realistic, or if the couple at least had a fair chance, and it ended because it was clear they were just suited better as friends. Or Noah realised he wasn't as happy as he thought he would be. Or Avery couldn't help but fall for Ethan. Or anything other than the doomed-to-fail over exaggerated scenarios the writers chose.
The acting wasn't bad, but it was difficult to care about Noah given how his character traits and feelings seemed to be determined more by his given situation rather than him as a person. The jokes were sparse and alot of the times fell short.
There also wasn't enough of him and Carrie together to warrant her being "the one". It is implausible that Avery's best girl friend (Carrie) and best guy friend (Noah) would see or talk to each other so seldomly over the course of 3 years. Or that Noah would become so close with Avery but somehow never learn the music, the movie and the foosball table weren't actually interests of hers. If these points were so important to him that it caused him to realise Carrie was actually the girl for him, how did it never come up again over the course of 3 years?
At the end of it, it didn't feel like Noah realised he was not in love with Avery but was actually in love with Carrie. It felt more like he couldn't get a real shot with Avery, so he chose Carrie instead, simply because fate wanted it that way.
The writers should have put more effort in, but it was still enjoyable enough to pass the time. -
FlashCallahan23 January 2022After spending a night with the girl of his dreams only to become just friends, a man gets the opportunity to travel through time via a magic photo booth and alter that night over and over again until he gets everything perfect....
Sounds like Big crossed with Groundhog Day, but this little film isn't as bad as you'd expect. Ive never been a fan of Adam Devine, he has a punchable screen presence, but here, he really dials it down, and it's to his credit.
It's nothing more than a high concept time travel film, but this has a very neat twist that really complimented the film, and made it all the more enjoyable to watch.
The cast are great, and from a room-com point of view, all the characters that are your usual cliches, are quite endearing here, and never overused.
Each situation Devine gets into makes him appear more insane or more unlikable to the other characters at some point, but as the film progresses, you can see what the film makers are doing, and it unfolds nicely before your eyes, in a very bittersweet way.
It's not laugh out loud funny, it it does raise a few smiles, and although its repetitive due to the narration of the film, it Alabama feels fresh.
So all in all it's a really nice little comedy that never outstays its welcome, but you'll never want to watch it again. -
rhoda_s_girl17 February 2018Just have to say I loved this movie and found it to be sweet, touching, funny, and refreshingly good.:) It had good acting plus didn't lower itself to idiotic dumb gags or the usual low level chick flick. It even surprised me a bit in the end and I only hope that Netflix makes more movies like this. This is probably one of the few Netflix self made things that I actually really liked. It's perfect for a date night or to watch single or with friends. My hubby liked it too which means if he liked it (who usually doesn't watch this type of stuff) then that's saying something...;)
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demiwalexander17 September 2019The movie continually progressed getting better and better until the end
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yann-b-bailly9 September 2019The classical scenario where the protagonist is a moron, doesn't know it, and it takes a full movie of stupid moves for him to realize that he is moron and that happiness is just in front of him. Because yes, when you spend I don't know how many years thinking about how great your relationship with a girl could have been while you don't know her (because not knowing her best friend shows he doesn't, particularly when the said BFF taught the girl everything he likes in her), you're just a sad moron. The issue is that it is so easy to predict that the first present is the only one that the movie can finish on (the girl is happy in the begining, and you quickly understand that she will never be happy with the hero, it would be a terrible lesson if they end up together), that all the movie becomes a pain to watch. Because you know that it will end exactly where it started.... Comic scenes are just too awkward, empathy with this kind of character is really difficult, side characters are stereotypical (seriously, the "funny seducer black pal"? Still doing that in 2018? And I don't talk about the other..), none of the modified timelines is really original... (Well excepted the stalker one perhaps... But it is too dumb to enjoy) Maybe actors are good. With this kind of scenario it is hard to tell, no actor can save it. I do not recommend it at all. I guess it can make you feel good if you're out of breakup and you need reason to move on. But still.
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torontofan-8024717 February 2018I started watching the movie just as a time fill but quickly became invested. what kept me enjoying the movie was the characters are people you can relate yourself to in one way or another. It's not the funniest comedy you'll see but it does have it's moments. It's a film both men and woman will enjoy and i enjoyed the ride of the movie.
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maniskkarangnani6 March 2021Loved it! Normally, I hate rom coms, but this one made the exception with me. I'm an Indian, so most people won't get the headline, but When We First Met was fascinating as the 2016 film Baar Baar Dekho. From the plot to the characters, I would recommend this film to anyone, whether they like rom coms or hate them.
For those who don't know the plot of either movie because you're too lazy to search it up, When We First Met is about Noah (Adam Devine) travelling back in time to the same night with the same intention: to get a girl named Avery (Alexandra Daddario) to fall in love with him. On the other hand, Baar Baar Dekho is about Jai (Sidharth Malhotra), a math expert who cares only about his work, but is travelling through time with no control, and puts his girlfriend Diya (Katrina Kaif), and his family before work for a change.
Besides Modern Family, this was the film that made me engrossed with Adam Devine. He's a classic Sidharth Malhotra (Jai in Baar Baar Dekho), with charm, looks, and personality. Noah is a character that travels back in time to get the love of his life, it's sweet! Hats off to Adam Devine!!!! -
ginocox-206-33696811 February 2018"When We First Met" is a half-baked mashup of ideas that have been explored more skillfully and interestingly in "The Butterfly Effect," "Groundhog Day" and "Bedazzled." Whereas GD explored the male-centric notion that a man can conquer any woman's heart with determination, perseverance and a readiness to change through growth and maturation, WWFM assumes the female-centric view that there can be only one perfect match which is somehow divinely ordained and guided by destiny. The result is somewhat incoherent and nonsensical.
Adam Devine plays Noah, a somewhat nerdish underachiever with seemingly limitless potential, who is smitten by überbabe Avery (Alexandra Daddario), whose underutilization in this film borders on the criminal. Not only is she given so little to do that her sentiments are often expressed by BFF Carrie (Shelley Hennig), but, in chickflick fashion, she is dressed so modestly, save for a hint of cleavage, that one wonders if the actress has become pregnant and is dressed in body-comatose (if that's the antonym of body-conscious) outfits to disguise a growing baby bump.
Noah, through no fault of his own, has been consigned by Avery to the infuriatingly inescapable friend zone. Through some fortuitous divine intervention, he is repeatedly whisked back in time to the fateful day when he blew whatever chance he thinks he might have had with Avery and given several opportunities to change his game plan. He manages to capture her body, but not her heart, while causing substantial collateral damage in other areas of his life, but is whisked back to the present with no memory of whatever sexual ecstasy they may have shared.
Performances are generally good, although Devine and Daddario are hampered by an unimaginative script. Henning delivers a varied and interesting performance, reacting to different permutations of Devine's character. Andrew Bachelor channels Eddie Murphy as Noah's best friend. Production values are adequate to the task.
However, while occasionally amusing, I never found the film laugh-out-loud funny. The film takes itself too seriously to be funny. Noah's efforts to escape the friend zone are treated as something bordering on rape mentality. He never enjoys his time with Avery or much of anything else in his alternate realities. He suffers because he can't have Avery, then suffers because having Avery's body but not her soul doesn't live up to his fantasy. Where's the humor in that? -
chloegalley3 May 2020This film was really good to watch. Entertaining and funny and Adam Devine plays the part so well. A nice light heated romantic comedy that u can watch with friends. I really enjoyed it was surprisingly a really good film to watch. I would definitely recommend to watch it.