Love Surreal

I don't write too many reviews but I thought I'd add one for this holiday favorite of mine. It's not the best written plot or the best acting but I get a kick out of the slapstick humor from Will Friedle and also the leads have a cute chemistry together. It's cheese all the way but I love it just the same! If your in the mood for a cute holiday movie, this one hits the spot!

It is becoming more the rule than the exception that movies made for television are the equal if not better than many of the works made for the theaters. Such is the case for this little bit of fluff of a movie - EVERYTHING YOU WANT. Based on a play by Natalie Prado and adapted successfully for the screen by Steven A. Lee and Kevin Lawrence King, this film is lightweight but carries itself with style and fun by director Ryan Little and makes for an entertaining diversion of a film that is not about the heavier issues with which most films today are dealing.

Abigail Morrison (a charming Shiri Appleby) grew up with absentee parents and spent her idle hours drawing and creating an imaginary friend Sy (Orlando Seale) to care for her loneliness. Unfortunately she has carried Sy into her adult life, preventing her from dating real human beings. As an art student she paints her imaginary boyfriend who is always there for her and makes her mistrustful of real guys who are bound to desert her...! Abby meets a cocky young student Quinn (Nick Zano) faking his interest in art to get easy college credits. There is a mutual attraction that takes some time to develop: Abby talks about her boyfriend Sy to shield her vulnerability. Abby's friend Jessica (Alexandra Holden) is aware of Abby's imaginary Sy and attempts to get her to date real men. But Jessica is not without her problems - maintaining employment at Borders Bookstore being one of them - and through a series of accidental encounters, Quinn steps in to help Jessica keep her job on the promise that Abby will coach him in art. The obvious happens and Quinn's growth as a person mirrors Abby's ability to fore go her need to hide behind Sy and the two become a couple.

The young cast is attractive and for the most part acts well. There are some strange subplots that don't add much to the storyline but at least introduce some different offbeat characters. A deep movie this is not, but for an evening of light entertainment, this little film glimmers.

A charming romantic comedy with the lovely Sheri Appleby, who has to chose between the perfect boyfriend and one that has the advantage of being real. Sheli Appleby, Liz from TV's Roswell, was extraordinarily lovely, and there's a funny sub plot concerning her roommate's attempt to keep her job at a bookstore. All this was sweet, but nothing earthshaking. The movie had an unexpected bonus, however, in the form of the hero's roommate Cal (played by Wil Freidle, voice of Ron Stoppable from Kim Possible.) The interaction between crazy Cal and the more straight-laced Quin was hilarious, particularly in scenes such as the two of them arguing about who would turn out the light in their apartment, or trying to practice street hockey. I laughed until tears flowed down my cheeks. Definitely worth watching!

If you're looking for Oscar level acting and deep, thought-provoking themes, Everything You Want is not the movie for you. I'll just get that out in the open. Nonetheless, it is an excellent movie, with humorous, likable characters, fun and romantic moments, and a good message. Not to mention that it's clean...a rarity in the romantic comedy genre. You could watch this with your kids and not have anything to worry about, with the exception of a mumbled choice word or two.

Abby Morrison (Shiri Appleby) is your typical art student; goes to class, hangs out with her roommate Jessica (Alexandra Holden), paints in her spare time, and works at the local Barnes and Noble. Oh, and she has an imaginary boyfriend named Sy (Orlando Seale). No, Abby is far from ordinary. She created the character of Sy as a child when she got lonely at her Aunt Edna's. Sy has always been the "ideal" boyfriend, going with her to romantic movies and bringing her flowers on no occasion.

Abby's life flips upside down when she meets Quinn (Nick Zano), an annoying law student in her art history class. Through a series of events, Abby ends up reluctantly agreeing to tutor Quinn. I won't spoil any of these reasons in this synopsis, but needless to say, Abby isn't too ecstatic about having to tutor Quinn all semester for a class he hates. But no sooner is she huffing at Quinn's irritating personality than she is getting confused about her feelings for him (and for Sy), blurring the lines between what's real and what's imaginary.

I highly recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys a happy, predictable film. I'm a confessed chick-flick addict, but this movie has more to it than just the simple boy-loves-girl-but-can't-have-her plot. Add to the mix some hilarious characters, including Abby's roommate Jessica and Quinn's roommate Cal (played by a hysterical Will Friedle), and you have a great movie to cuddle up with on a rainy afternoon. You'll get some laughs out of this little-known, wonderful movie. Actually, I rented it once after seeing it on TV and I watched it several times before returning it to the video store. Now I own it!

To be honest, if my wife and I didn't know from the start she had an imaginary boyfriend, than yes, it would have been very confusing. But, since we were aware of that, this movie was really cute! Goofy, sweet, and adorable! Even though Quinns roommate was... how should I put it... odd.. that can be overlooked. Had a few weird/inappropriate-ish remarks, but nothing ridiculous. This movie was a really cute one, the acting was good, story line was sweet, and it was funny in it's own way! Well worth watching, James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 4/11/2021.