Sweethearts (2024) is directed by Jordan Weiss and stars Kiernan Shipka, Nico Hiraga, Caleb Hearon, Ava DeMary, Charlie Hall, Tramell Tillman, Joel Kim Booster, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Zach Zucker, Christine Taylor, Kevin Yamada, Sophie Zucker, Darius Jackson, and Olivia Nikkanen. The film follows Jamie (Shipka) and Ben (Hiraga), two lifelong friends and college freshmen who decide to break up with their long-distance high school sweethearts over Thanksgiving break. When they arrive home, they find their goal much more difficult than they initially expected. With the help of their other friend, Palmer (Hearon), a gay man with a desire to come out to his former classmates, Ben and Jamie are forced to navigate their hometown bars and find their sweethearts before the Thanksgiving holiday. Throughout the night, their friendships are tested, causing them to reconsider why they spend so much time together in the first place.

Shipka and Higara are well-cast as the film’s teen leads and succeed in delivering likable characters in a genre that thrives on immature behavior. Shipka is once again a lively and charismatic lead who is enjoyable despite her flaws while Hiraga plays a likable everyman whose biggest problem is that he has a hard time standing up for himself. Yes, these characters deal with immature problems, but they never handle them in immature ways. As an adult, it’s often tough to connect to teenage problems, but when the characters are likable, we’ll follow them through anything.  Caleb Hearon is likewise enjoyable as the film’s third lead and leads us through a version of the common gay identity subplot that actually feels unique within the subgenre. He struggles with coming out to his former classmates but then eventually realizes they don’t really care that much to begin with. This may seem like a downer on paper, but it’s actually a relief for the character and teaches him to not give a shit about what other people think. In reality, they probably don’t think about you at all, so why think about them?

Although the film features its fair share of unoriginal teen romance tropes, I also think it does a great job of balancing them with unexpected subversions. As soon as we think we know where the story is headed, something happens that shifts the trajectory. It’s a constant back and forth of “Oh yeah, I know where this is going” and “Ok, maybe not.” This results in us not knowing where the film is going, but it also leads to what feels like a lack of focus. The movie goes in so many zany, red-herring directions that are admittedly entertaining but feel meaningless to the central plot/story. In other words, it feels like it occasionally rambles. 

The rom-com elements are surprisingly effective and end in places I wasn’t expecting. Although the script doesn’t feature much in-your-face characterization, it’s tough not to care about these characters by the final act. They’re built through their actions as opposed to who we’re told they are – always the superior character-building approach. 

Overall, I can’t see this appealing to anyone who finds themselves too old for the genre, but everyone else will find it to be an admirable addition to the canon. It’s fun, the dialogue is believable, and the characters are intelligent and likable. I also appreciated that this is a rare addition to the Thanksgiving film genre. It won’t knock your boots off, but if you’re in the mood for this kind of experience, it beats the hell out of Mean Girls (2024). B-