The only thing worse than being stuck in an airport is being stuck with Meg Ryan and David Duchovny.
In the new rom-com, “What Happens Later” (which Ryan directs and co-wrote), the two are former lovers who meet accidentally in a regional airport when a storm moves in. She’s headed to Boston; he’s bound for Austin. They have that “say what?” kind of encounter, then spend the rest of what seems like eternity unloading about the past.
All this might make sense if they had no way out, but the two clearly could have gotten rooms had they planned better. Instead, they’re sprawled on those uncomfortable airport chairs, talking about equally uncomfortable subjects. Considering they’ve been apart for more than two decades, that’s a lot to unpack.
She, apparently, was a free soul. He was a buttoned-up businessman bound for glory. When a situation pulled them apart, they never talked. But, here, nothing seems to shut them up. She opens up about a multitude of subjects and reminds him of little things most would forget after they happened.
He talks about his daughter and her decision to become a dancer – even though he doesn’t think she’s very good. Somehow, the two shore each other up, but they barely leave a corner of the airport and – get this – have no other encounters. That means he can commandeer a cart, take her on a joyride and get drinks at a bar that hasn’t been locked up.
She, meanwhile, can limp around the walkways like Diane Keaton on a bad clothes bender. She has a rainstick, too, and a habit of writing things in her boots. (Don’t ask.)
The talks manage to hit on the younger generation, music and ailments they’ve both acquired. When they’re making lists (and there are several), the banter sounds forced. Clearly, the screenplay comes from people striving to sound smart instead of spontaneous.
Throughout the film, an airport “voice” makes announcements, then comments on the couple’s situation. It’s cute, but it also seems a little too gimmicky. If anything, “What Happens Later” should have been a play. Lighting could have provided necessary transitions and the two actors wouldn’t have seemed so awkward.
Why Duchovny and Ryan would ever unite is one of the big mysteries of this film. The two aren’t the first you think of when it comes to ticking off lists of weather events.
Ryan still has that winsomeness she exhibited in a handful of films (many directed by her friend Nora Ephron), but there’s a worldliness that never gets tapped. When she starts explaining the things that tore them apart, she seems like someone who has been plotting for years to have this accidental encounter.
That both of them go by “W. Davis” is one of the film’s odder aspects. She’s Willa; he’s Bill. They don’t listen carefully to gate closings, either, and manage to sleep on a floor that most wouldn’t walk on.
As director, Ryan frequently frames her scenes in weird ways. At one point, the two are sitting so far apart, it’s a miracle they don’t fall off the edges of the screen.
Because it seems like a Hallmark movie without the holiday trappings, “What Happens Later” doesn’t end without hope. It doesn’t ensure a return visit. But knowing their situations, it’s likely the two W. Davises will “meet cute” in less than another 20 years. With or without snow.
Movie critic Bruce Miller says "The Holdovers" is a holiday movie with some rougher edges. Despite being bathed in the glow of nostalgia, “The Holdovers” is brutally real about human relationships.
