Written and directed by Rahel Grunder, to finally move on after the end of a long-term relationship, a woman, scarred but not scared, begins to look for her new Mr. Right and struggles to find one. So she decides to have many. Starring: Florine Elena Deplazes, Anu Yadav, Shaun Patrick Flynn and Tyler Johnson Ellis.
Straight off the bat you can feel the classic women-led comedy style that they’re going for with I Wanna Be Single With You. There’s the slightly sarcastic and self-reflective narration, pieces of quick editing and a lightly jazzy, adventurous styled score sitting upon it all. It slots right into familiarity and while it’s using a known formula that works, it also means that it’s not initially giving us much that’s fresh or original. However, that changes when it reveals that it’s not following a singular path but is providing a dual perspective. Allowing viewers to see both sides of the evening, through the eyes of its protagonist Flo (Florine Elena Deplazes) and herdate Brad (Shaun Patrick Flynn). It’s a nice change of pace to let the audience see which side of things they relate to more, and raises questions about presumptions and judgements that we make.
For the most part, things go about as you’d expect and there’s the classic mix of dates ranging from truly terrible, straight up creepy, attractive on the outside and the one with potential. Similarly the tone is familiar, its sense of humour tracks with conventional romantic comedy. However, it ultimately veers into some interesting territory, holding an entirely different weight and exploring the dangers of dating. Although, it wraps things up before it can truly get going, leaving you waiting for its next instalment.
Florine Elena Deplazes portrays a relatable, sympathetic and natural personality for Flo, it’s a touch stereotypical but still entertaining. She’s easy to watch and especially when paired with Anu Yadav’s Vani, the two create a sweet friendship which is always a plus. The ensemble of men that parade through their speed dating session all give the necessary amounts of odd, weird and repelling. No-one goes overboard and the pacing moves forward well. Tyler Johnson Ellis gives that favorite trope of good-looking but once they open their mouth, the attraction quickly fades into a void of vainness. While Shaun Patrick Flynn provides a great counterbalance to Flo with Brad, they have a good amount of similarities in their search for love, and he does feel genuinely nervous and isn’t trying too hard. They create a good flirtation which feels sincere.
I Wanna Be Single With You dives headfirst into the tone of beloved women-led romantic comedy. The set-up is fairly stereotypical but it remains entertaining and has a touch of charm. Florine Elena Deplazes’s Flo is an easy character to connect with. The style doesn’t go too over the top, it follows a familiar path but has its own edge to add to the mix, particularly in splitting the perspective. The story takes a turn for something more complicated as it hits its finale but leaves you on the hook to find out where it will go.
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