It Had to Be You (2016 film)

Last updated
It Had to Be You
Directed by Sasha Gordon
Screenplay bySasha Gordon
Story by
  • Levi Abrino
  • Sasha Gordon
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBobby Webster
Edited byAmanda Laws
Music bySasha Gordon
Release date
  • October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

It Had To Be You is a 2016 [Note 1] romantic comedy film starring Cristin Milioti, Dan Soder, and Halley Feiffer. Sonia (Milioti), a neurotic and charming jingle writer, is forced by her boyfriend Chris (Soder) to choose whether she wants to join the ranks of her married friends or live out her fantasies without him. Traditional gender stereotypes are reversed as she exhibits fear of commitment and he presses for marriage and starting a family. The film was Sasha Gordon's directorial debut, and premiered at the Austin Film Festival in October, 2015, [1] with its theatrical release on October 21, 2016. [2]

Contents

Plot

Sonia Friedman [Note 2] , a thirty-something young woman, panics when live-in boyfriend Chris Jensen [Note 3] proposes marriage. Her refusal hurts him and he walks out. Her friends Nora, Lee, and Anna arrive to console her, and in flashbacks we're told by Sonia's narration that Lee and Anna are married and that Nora is engaged to Mark. It's through Mark that Sonia met his friend Chris six months before the engagement. In another flashback we see Chris teaching Sonia to dance to the song It Had to Be You . Back in the present the next morning Chris explains they've been in a relationship for over a year, and even though she mocked the idea of marriage back then he thought the past year of seeing her friends married should have helped her change her mind. She apologizes and they agree that she can have some time to think about it.

Alone again, Sonia narrates an inner dialogue and through flashbacks and animation reveals three reasons she's afraid to marry Chris: 1) her fear that they are incompatible; 2) her fear that their sex life is inadequate; and 3) her belief that she is not yet "a woman". In that last she fantasizes about a woman with whom she regularly commutes, and pictures the woman's "perfect" life. Waking from her revery she leaves the subway and introduces her workplace. Logging on to her computer she sees her personal website and recalls how Chris had created it for her, and how she'd rebuffed his invitation to have a coffee because she was having sex with her boss Zach. Nonetheless she goes out with Chris to see a movie for which she'd composed the soundtrack, and ends up inviting Chris back to her place where they had sex for the first time.

Once again in the present, Sonia and Chris travel with Nora and Mark to their new home; they bought it because Nora's expecting a child after the wedding. Mark advises Chris to force Sonia into a decision and he confronts her to set a deadline for when she'll decide whether to marry him or not. She demurs and he tells her that even though he loves her and wants to spend the rest of their lives together he cannot remain in limbo forever, and suggests they put their relationship on hold until she makes up her mind.

While shopping Sonia encounters Lara, the fellow commuter from the subway, and they meet. They accidentally exchange shopping bags and Sonia finds Lara's blue thong and tries it on. Feeling sexy in the thong, when Anna suggests that a brief vacation might help Sonia clear her thoughts, she decides to fly to Rome to look up Fabrizio on whom she'd had a crush in college. In Rome she meets Fabrizio and he and his brother Dezi get her drunk and have her model as an "'ipster" for an ad campaign. Afterwards they go back to Dezi's apartment where despite Dezi's presence she allows Fabrizio to shave her pudenda and then goes to bed with him. When she wakes in the morning she finds a note from Fabrizio explaining that he's married and his wife is expecting their child so he hopes she won't mind that he "borrowed" all of her cash and her cellphone.

Back in New York Nora reveals that Chris has been living with her and Mark since he moved out of Sonia's apartment. She invites Sonia to come to them for supper so that she can casually meet with Chris again but forgets to make sure that Chris will be there. Zach dumps some last minute work on Sonia delaying her arrival at the dinner, and when she finally arrives Nora and Mark are fighting because Nora chose Gary, a male midwife, to help with the birth. Chris leaves for supper elsewhere to avoid spending time with Sonia.

At Mark and Nora's wedding three weeks after the failed proposal, Sonia begs Mark to be allowed to sit next to him and he agrees "if I don't have to speak to you". Nonetheless they dance and Chris admits that he still loves her. The next morning they're back together in Sonia's apartment when he gets a call from Google offering him a job in San Francisco. While Chris is torn about what to do Sonia encourages him to take the job; he understands she wants to return to their non-committal relationship and he decides to take the job but break up with Sonia.

Lee tells Sonia that she too is pregnant, and after a discussion with Zach Sonia decides to propose to Chris. She prepares a DVD with photos of them together set to the song It Has to Be You and prepares to fly to San Francisco, but Mark tells her that Chris is in Pennsylvania visiting family. She gets on a bus to see him and encounters Lara who's traveling there for work, and she realizes that Lara's life is far from the perfect fantasy she'd imagined it to be. In the meantime Nora is giving birth, and Sonia finds out that Mark has traveled from Pennsylvania to New York to be at the birth. She begs the bus driver to let her off, then races back to the hospital to see Gary the midwife presenting newborn Eli Bing to his parents. Chris is uncomfortable in her presence and prepares to leave the hospital room but Sonia begs him to watch the video first. Unfortunately the sound doesn't work and Sonia hesitantly sings It Has to Be You. The rest of the people in the room start singing along with her and as the words "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" flash on the screen she gets down on her knees and asks him. "Of course I will" he says, and they kiss.

Cast

Release

It Had to Be You was screened at the 22nd annual Austin Film Festival in October, 2015. [1] It was picked up for distribution by Samuel Goldwyn Films and had a limited theatrical release on October 21, 2016, [2] earning $5.3K that weekend, and was streamed beginning December 20, 2016. [3]

Reception

Notes

  1. IMDb lists the movie's year as 2015 for when it was first screened, but the final film is copyright 2016 and was released in 2016.
  2. Sonia's family name is only shown on her website: "Sonia Friedman Music" but never mentioned.
  3. Similarly, the website says "Site built by Chris Jensen" but is never otherwise mentioned.
  4. Credited as "Mark", his real name is used in the final scene when Nora says that her child's full name is Eli Bing Gessner.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Light in the Piazza</i> (musical) 2005 musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas

The Light in the Piazza is a musical with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, and a book by Craig Lucas. Based on the 1960 novella by Elizabeth Spencer, the show is set in the 1950s and tells the story of Margaret Johnson, a wealthy Southern woman, and Clara, her daughter, who is developmentally disabled due to a childhood accident. The two spend a summer together in Florence, Italy. When Clara falls in love with a young Italian man, Fabrizio, Margaret is forced to reconsider not only Clara's future, but her own deep-seated hopes and regrets as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sofia Falcone</span> Comics character

Sofia Falcone is a villain appearing in DC Comics, primarily in association with the character Batman. Debuting in the 1996-97 comic book limited series Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, she is introduced as a member of the Falcone crime family, who assists her father Carmine Falcone in unearthing the identity of the "Holiday Killer"—later revealed to be Sofia's own brother Alberto Falcone, a mass-murderer who had been indiscriminately killing Gotham City's citizens in correlation with holidays in the yearly calendar. In the 1999-2000 limited series Batman: Dark Victory which served as a continuation of the arc established in The Long Halloween, Sofia is revealed as the identity behind the murderer known under the alias the Hangman, who had spent over a year targeting and eliminating various members of the Gotham City Police Department, notably in association with former district attorney-turned criminal, Harvey Dent / Two-Face, who ends up killing her during a lengthy confrontation with Batman himself.

<i>How I Met Your Mother</i> American sitcom, first aired on CBS from 2005 to 2014

How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his group of friends in New York City's Manhattan. As a framing device, Ted, in 2030, recounts to his son, Luke, and daughter, Penny, the events from September 2005 to May 2013 that led him to meet their mother. How I Met Your Mother, is a joint production by Bays & Thomas Productions and 20th Century Fox Television and syndicated by 20th Television.

It Had to Be You may refer to:

<i>Susie Q</i> (film) 1996 fantasy-comedy television film by John Blizek

Susie Q is a 1996 fantasy-comedy television film directed by John Blizek and starring Justin Whalin, Amy Jo Johnson and Shelley Long. It originally aired on Super RTL in Germany, followed by Disney Channel airing it in the United States on October 3, 1996. The film tells the story of a teenager dying with her boyfriend on her way to their Winter Formal back in the mid-1950s and coming back to her old house 40 years later in order to help her parents avoid being kicked out of their trailer park home. Later, Zach (Whalin) moves into Susie's (Johnson) old house, but he is the only one who is able to see Susie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Freeze</span> Fictional character throughout the DC Universe

Mr. Freeze is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, the character first appeared in Batman #121 as the ice-based criminal Mr. Zero. He was soon renamed "Mr. Freeze" and, years later, received a revamped origin story based on the one conceived by writer Paul Dini for Batman: The Animated Series. Dini's depiction of the character as a tragic villain popularized Mr. Freeze into becoming one of Batman's most enduring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

Halley Feiffer is an American actress and playwright, best known for writing and showrunning Season 12 of American Horror Story.

<i>Sleepwalk with Me</i> 2012 American film

Sleepwalk with Me is a 2012 American independent comedy film co-written by, directed by, and starring Mike Birbiglia. It also stars Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn, Carol Kane, and Cristin Milioti. Before making the film, Birbiglia had already told the autobiographical story of his struggles to become a stand-up comedian while dealing with REM behavior disorder and a failing relationship in a one-man show and a book.

<i>Year of the Carnivore</i> 2009 film by Sook-Yin Lee

Year of the Carnivore is a 2009 Canadian romantic comedy film about a grocery store detective with a crush on a man who rejects her because she has too little sexual experience. It stars Cristin Milioti, Mark Rendall, Will Sasso, Ali Liebert, and Luke Camilleri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cristin Milioti</span> American actress

Cristin Milioti is an American actress. She is known for playing Tracy McConnell in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother from 2013 to 2014, and for her work in theater productions such as That Face, Stunning, and the Tony Award-winning musical Once, for which she won a Grammy Award and was nominated for a Tony Award. She has also played Teresa Petrillo Belfort in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, Sarah Wilder in the 2020 film Palm Springs, Betsy Solverson in the second season of Fargo (2015), Hazel Green in the HBO Max comedy series Made for Love (2021–2022), and Emma in the Peacock black comedy mystery series The Resort (2022-).

"TGS Hates Women" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 96th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 24, 2011. Guest stars in this episode include Cristin Milioti and Chloë Grace Moretz.

<i>Once</i> (musical) 2011 musical

Once is a musical based on the 2007 film of the same name by John Carney. Like the film, music and lyrics were by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, including the Academy Award-winning "Falling Slowly". The book for the musical was written by Enda Walsh. The musical premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2011, before transferring to Broadway in 2012. The production received eleven 2012 Tony Award nominations, and won eight including Best Musical, Best Actor and Best Book. The musical also won the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. It has since spawned a London production, with a North American Tour which started on 1 October 2013. In the musical, the cast also serves as the orchestra. A minimalist set is used, including a bar in center stage with chairs lining stage left and right. Exiting cast members simply step to the side of the stage and sit down. They serve as the orchestra from these chairs. The bar is used before the show and at intermission as a working bar for theater patrons.

<i>How I Met Your Mother</i> (season 9) Season of television series

The ninth and final season of How I Met Your Mother, an American sitcom created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, premiered on CBS on September 23, 2013, with two episodes, and concluded on March 31, 2014. The show was renewed for the final season on December 21, 2012, after cast member Jason Segel changed his decision to leave the show after Season 8. Cristin Milioti, who was revealed as "The Mother" in the Season 8 finale, was promoted to a series regular, the only time How I Met Your Mother added a new regular cast member. Season 9 consists of 24 episodes, each running approximately 22 minutes in length.

Something New (<i>How I Met Your Mother</i>) 24th episode of the 8th season of How I Met Your Mother

"Something New" is the 24th and final episode of the eighth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 184th episode overall. This was the episode that finally introduced the titular character of the Mother, played by Cristin Milioti.

The Mother (<i>How I Met Your Mother</i>) Fictional character on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother

Tracy McConnell is the title character from the CBS television sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The show, narrated by Future Ted, tells the story of how Ted Mosby met his children's mother. Tracy McConnell appears in eight episodes, from "Lucky Penny" to "The Time Travelers", as an unseen character; she was first seen fully in "Something New" and was promoted to a main character in season 9. She is played by Cristin Milioti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Last Forever</span> 23rd and 24th episodes of the 9th season of How I Met Your Mother

"Last Forever" is the series finale of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The episode serves as the 23rd and 24th episodes of season nine, and the 207th and 208th episodes overall; the episode's two parts are classified as two separate episodes. It aired on March 31, 2014.

<i>Palm Springs</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by Max Barbakow

Palm Springs is a 2020 American science fiction romantic comedy film directed by Max Barbakow, from a screenplay by Andy Siara. It stars Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and J. K. Simmons, and follows two strangers who meet at a wedding in Palm Springs only to get stuck in a time loop.

<i>To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You</i> 2020 film directed by Michael Fimognari

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is a 2020 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Michael Fimognari and written by Sofia Alvarez and J. Mills Goodloe. The film stars Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Trezzo Mahoro, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac, Kelcey Mawema, Jordan Fisher, Ross Butler, Julie Tao, Sarayu Blue, John Corbett, and Holland Taylor. The film is based on Jenny Han's 2015 novel P.S. I Still Love You.

<i>Made for Love</i> (TV series) 2021 American TV series

Made for Love is an American science fiction black comedy-drama television series based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Alissa Nutting. The series premiered on HBO Max on April 1, 2021. It stars Cristin Milioti, Billy Magnussen, and Ray Romano. In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on April 28, 2022. Despite positive response to the series, in June 2022, the series was canceled after two seasons following the merger of HBO Max's parent company WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc. to become Warner Bros. Discovery. It was removed from HBO Max in December 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 Stoddard, Elizabeth (Nov 6, 2015). "Austin Film Festival Review: IT HAD TO BE YOU". Cinapse . Retrieved Mar 21, 2023.
  2. 1 2 N'Duka, Amanda (September 21, 2016). "Samuel Goldwyn Films Picks Up 'It Had To Be You'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  3. "It Had to Be You". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  4. Scheck, Frank (October 21, 2016). "'It Had to Be You': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  5. Genzlinger, Neil (October 20, 2016). "Review: 'It Had to Be You' Is a Witty Rom-Com With a 1950s Feel". New York Times .
  6. Goldstein, Gary (October 20, 2016). "Review: Endearing 'It Had to Be You' summons memories of great rom-coms of the past". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 23, 2023.