After Ever Happy (2022) - Movie Review
(Based on the novel series After by Anna Todd)
CW: Alcohol Addiction and Overdose.
Obligatory Disclaimer: Did not read the source material. Most reference to them is speculation or public knowledge.
Here were are again. Harden (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and Tessa (Josephine Langford) have once again graced our straight to streaming/DVD screens with another look at their whirlwind of a toxic romance, for the 4th installment of the After series.
Wild revelations were dropped in the last movie (After We Fell) and if you’ve been following this series, not in the book, than you kinda wanted to know what was gonna come from all the cracks in this couple’s, as well as their family’s lives. You probably felt a little bad for them and hoped that some growing would take place and old patterns wouldn’t be followed.... Okay, maybe that was a bit much in the hoping department, cause unless you actually love this couple, you already know what’s to come. You know that there is no saving them and you wish that they would do themselves a favor and finally let go of the toxic strings that tie them together, but you also know that won’t happen.
After Ever Happy is what you get when you haven’t found a way or refuse to stop the push and the pull and you know your core audience will just follow you right to the edge of that cliff every time. As for me, I’m here for the downfall and the potential for a movie review.
See it can’t be for the spice cause that part was not good. There was maybe 2 maybe 3 spicy scenes in the entire film and the first was so ill-placed that I was done with it before it even finished, as with the rest of them. I’m sorry but the sex you use to fix your poor communication wasn’t enticing enough to my eyes or my feels, for me to say this works.
It once again couldn’t be any of the parts in the story that I hoped would get some real attention either, cause spoiler alert, they didn’t. There are some heavy themes in this story and I just wanted something tangible done with them. You don’t have to preform a miracle, just do better. I’ve said this multiple times (across several reviews in this series) CARE ABOUT YOUR CHARACTERS!
Oh and although predictable, we’re not here for the continued rip on 50 Shades of Grey. Another thing I’ve mentioned before. A lot of romance novels eat off of each other’s plates, so much so that many are simply regurgitating the same story with slight variations. The After series takes big bites and expects folks not to notice or knows people see it and ignores that elephant in the room. Now this isn’t the downfall of this movie, it’s just funny that they do it and makes those parts worse.
There is no growth here. This relationship is not everlasting. It’s not meant to defy all odds. It’s a burning building and anyone who tells you that this is what unconditional love looks like, has already breathed in too much smoke and can most likely not be saved, just like Tess cannot save Harden.
A positive though, is that the cast has finally gotten consistent. I didn’t see a recast of anyone I would have remembered and the people who are here now have been with us for at least 2 or 3 films at this point. You lose a lot with constant recasting, so thanks for keeping who you could.
Okay, so at this point we all know what we’re getting and just like Tumblr acknowledges what kind of platform they got, the After series is acknowledging the kind of toxic romance they’ve created. I haven’t seen them do that before, but I imagine if enough people tell you something about yourself, sometimes you have to admit defeat, thus bringing us here.It’s the 4th movie and possibly one of the first times that we’re all on the same page. Not for long though, cause we all saw that “To Be Continued...” and know there are 2 more movies to follow this one.
Here’s what we’re all gonna do.... We’re gonna keep going, cause we’re invested, we’re gonna keep saying that this relationship is toxic, so that everyone who romanticizes it doesn’t get a moment of peace and eventually realizes it too and then when this is all over we’re gonna move onto the next story with another toxic relationship. It’s called rinse and repeat for slight entertainment.
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If you’re interested check out my reviews of After, After We Collided and After We Fell, the first 3 films in this series, if you’re curious about what I thought of those movies.
Bonus Spoiler Commentary Below:
I am not mad that Harden wrote a book about his and Tessa’s relationship as therapy, however I’m not big on the idea that he could just put it out there like that. The book seemed to cover every detail and I’d personally wouldn’t want my intimate life displayed like that without some knowledge or buffer. Like he just showed up with a manuscript and a meeting and she’s just supposed to be like “cool.” I don’t need Harden to be a good person, I just need him to stop with the BS and remember that the world doesn’t revolve around him.
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