YOU, ME & HER - Mark Reviews Movies

You, Me & Her, Attend

Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Become a Patron

Review by Mark Dujsik | February 13, 2025

You, Me & Her is funny and insightful when it isn't specifically trying to be those things. When the movie does blatantly go for comedy and wisdom, it's a strained effort.

The setup is simple, familiar stuff at first. It revolves around Mags (Selina Ringel) and Ash (Ritesh Rajan), who have been married for several years, had a kid about a year or so ago, and are preparing for their first vacation alone since becoming parents. The relationship isn't what it used to be, if the opening combination of Ash's trip to the bathroom to watch porn on his phone and Mags' frustration that her husband didn't even ask if she was interested in having sex is any indication.

The movie, written by Ringel and directed by Dan Levy Dagerman (her husband, by the way, which is at least superficially relevant given the material), feels authentic in such little moments but also a bit distancing in its more significant details. It's easy enough to relate to the gap that has formed between the lead characters, as professional problems and a difficulty communicating and the struggles of raising a first child make it difficult for the two to find time for themselves alone and as a couple.

Then again, Mags is apparently wealthy, with a cushy job working for her father's financial firm. Sure, money doesn't solve every problem, but it's naïve or disingenuous to suggest that it doesn't help quite a bit. It's tough, for example, to see new parenthood as much of a strain on these two when they have an au pair (played by Fiorella Vescovi Garcia) doing most of the work of caring for and tending to their young son.

The well-to-do backdrop here is definitely a double-edged sword, because, while it does create that odd distance between us and the characters, it does give Ash, who's trying to get his cannabis-growing business off the ground, a bit more depth than just some stereotypically slacker husband. He feels insufficient as a marital and parenting partner, simply because Mags can afford everything she and her family could ever want or need.

To try to make up for that, Ash has arranged a getaway for him and Mags at a fancy resort in a less-popular spot in Mexico. It seems like a good idea to rekindle some marital bliss, but the couple's problems from home follow them on vacation. Mags is expecting a romantic time, filled with good food and fun activities, but Ash is in the middle of a business deal that could make his company big, hasn't planned anything beyond booking the hotel room, and becomes obsessed with finding marijuana for his own vacation comfort.

This is funny and thoughtful stuff, grounded in these characters, what each of them wants, and the clear divide between those desires. The major complicating factor of the plot is clever, too, as it introduces yet another divide for this couple to confront directly. While on her own, Mags meets Angela (Sydney Park), an attractive and charming yoga instructor, on the beach, and she can't stop staring at the woman. When Angela seems to begin flirting with Mags, she's even more flustered, because she very much likes the attention from this specific woman.

Where the story goes from here is a bit obvious, if only because Ringel has introduced some of the ideas already during an awkward episode with a couple of swingers, but that doesn't make it any less amusing and considered. Mags discovers she is also attracted to women, if only this particular woman, and when Ash notices how his wife reacts when Angela finds her again, he finds the idea tantalizing. The two joke about the notion of a threesome, which does re-ignite a spark between them, but soon enough, they start to seriously discuss the possibility of trying to make it happen before the vacation ends.

The big problem for how this premise is handled by the filmmakers comes later by way of a lot of extraneous business that transforms the character-focused, relaxed, and straightforward storytelling into something else entirely. An opportunity for Angela to join the couple arises, and suddenly, it's as if the characters lose anything that made them endearing (although that takes some time, a change of location, and some actual conversation) in favor of making them fools. It makes some sense, obviously, since the two are nervous and slightly uncomfortable about the plan, but there's a line between those qualities and forced awkwardness. This crosses it repeatedly.

Meanwhile, the plotting becomes a broadly thought-out situational comedy, as Mags and Ash try to invent the perfect setting, mood, and circumstances for their fantasy to become a reality. Things keep getting in the way, of course, because the movie has shifted its priorities from examining what this situation might be like to delaying it for comedic effect.

To be clear, some of this chaotic contrivance is funny, but one still wonders what happened to the scenes building up to it, in which the characters seem genuinely interested and curious, not only about how such an arrangement would work, but also what it means to them as individuals and a couple. Well, You, Me & Her eventually returns to that part of the story, but after the shenanigans preceding it, such a sudden U-turn feels tonally dissonant and a bit artificial.

Back to Home

Buy Related Products