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'What If,' a romantic comedy, is too satisfied with its cuteness

( PG-13 ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'What If' stars Daniel Radcliffe as Wallace, who is in love with his female friend (Zoe Kazan), and Radcliffe and Kazan have a nice rapport.

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Caitlin Cronenberg/CBS Films
'What If' stars Daniel Radcliffe (l.) and Zoe Kazan (r.).
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Daniel Radcliffe fans, at least the ones who care about him as an actor and not as Harry Potter, will be gratified to learn that he gives a performance in “What If” that will in no way remind anyone of the boy wizard. He plays Wallace, a med school dropout in Toronto who, still reeling from a breakup with his girlfriend, falls for Chantry (Zoe Kazan), a gamine animator who inconveniently has a boyfriend (Rafe Spall) but wants Wallace to be a "boy friend."

This is standard rom-com terrain, and, as directed by Michael Dowse and written by Elan Mastai, it doesn’t fly high. At times it’s rather sweet, though, and Radcliffe and Kazan have a nice nerds-in-clover rapport. If only the movie wasn’t so satisfied with how cute it is. Grade: B- (Rated PG-13 for sexual content, including references throughout, partial nudity and language.)

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