If Only

A spoiler light review of If Only should begin with tone, because Gil Junger understands exactly how this comedy ought to feel. If Only gains early credibility from Jennifer Love Hewitt, whose presence is balanced by the different rhythm of Paul Nicholls. The foundation of If Only can be stated simply: It takes a tragedy to teach the young businessman Ian to put love ahead of work and open up to his musician girlfriend Samantha. Within its 1h 32m running time, If Only reveals both the benefits and the limits of that disciplined approach.

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Rather than summarise every event in If Only, it is enough to note how Ian places Samantha under growing pressure. Jennifer Love Hewitt gives that tension a face, which stops If Only from becoming a mechanical sequence of developments. Christina Welsh uses the central character to widen the stakes of If Only without losing sight of the original problem. Where an important relationship becomes predictable, If Only recovers interest through the consequences surrounding it.

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What If Only has to say is rooted in embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. The experience of Jennifer Love Hewitt carries that question through If Only without reducing the character to an example. An important relationship helps If Only test the theme through consequence instead of explanation. When Gil Junger allows ambiguity to remain, If Only becomes more involving than a simple statement of intent.

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If Only demonstrates the value of well judged reactions by making a technical decision feel inseparable from dramatic intention. For Intermedia Films, the production of If Only balances well judged reactions with enough restraint to keep performances visible. The United States roots of If Only lend useful character to performer rhythm across the central locations. What makes the finish of If Only convincing is the willingness of its sound and image to step back when a quieter reaction matters more.

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Performance is the clearest human asset in If Only, beginning with the committed centre provided by Jennifer Love Hewitt. Paul Nicholls keeps If Only from settling into one emotional register by approaching the material from another angle. The presence of Tom Wilkinson gives the surrounding world of If Only additional texture without distracting from the main line. When Gil Junger holds on a reaction, If Only communicates more efficiently than another explanatory exchange could manage.

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The directorial personality of If Only comes from Gil Junger remaining dependable even when the material becomes familiar when the premise invites excess. Within If Only, Gil Junger repeatedly favours readable choices over attention seeking flourishes. That discipline explains why familiar choices gain value from committed execution in If Only rather than appearing only in isolated scenes. Where If Only becomes less convincing, some developments arrive well before they surprise, and the loss of control is noticeable without becoming fatal.

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Taken as a whole, If Only is a satisfying recommendation with minor reservations for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. If Only leaves its strongest impression through well judged reactions, the work of Jennifer Love Hewitt and a clear understanding of tone. The limitations around how some developments arrive well before they surprise should be acknowledged, but they do not erase what If Only does well. I would return to If Only for its personality and its willingness to connect genre pleasure with recognisable feeling.