The latest trailer for Daniel Radcliffe‘s romantic comedy, “What If,” digs deeper into the characters and the connections that are conspiring to keep Radcliffe’s Wallace away from Zoe Kazan‘s Chantry. First of all, she has a boyfriend, played by Rafe Spall. Second, she almost immediately puts him into the friend zone … with a very formal handshake, even. “It’s quite unnerving,” he tells her.
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While everyone around him is finding love, Wallace only has eyes for Chantry. He’s trying to convince himself that he can just be friends with her, that in fact they are just friends, but he’s only fooling himself.
Still, the chemistry between them is real, and he isn’t crazy in thinking that she feels something, too. It’s just a matter of whether they can figure it all out before she takes off for a new job in Taiwan.
The question of the film is if men and women can really be friends. Based on the evidence presented in less than four minutes, they cannot. Or at least, these two cannot. It’s a classic romantic comedy, with all the familiar beats from the goofy best friends, to the giant hurdle keeping the destined lovebirds apart. In this case, that would be the hulking boyfriend.
See video: Adam Driver Gives Daniel Radcliffe Relationship Advice in ‘What If’ Trailer
Directed by Michael Dowse, and written by Elan Mastai, What If” co-stars Adam Driver, Megan Park, Oona Chaplin, and Mackenzie Davis. It was executive produced by Dowse, Hartley Gorenstein, Bryan Gliserman, Mark Costa, Ford Oelman, Marc Stephenson, and Patrice Theroux. The CBS Films’ production is scheduled to premiere in the United States on August 1.