What Happens Later (2023) * * 1/2

 

Directed by: Meg Ryan

Starring:  Meg Ryan, David Duchovny, Hal Liggett

Meg Ryan's second feature film (her first was 2015's Ithaca, unseen by me) returns her to familiar ground in this romantic comedy.  She plays Willa, who runs into her former college boyfriend Bill (Duchovny) at a snowbound unnamed airport.   Her flight to Boston and his flight to Austin are grounded, giving them plenty of time to catch up, argue, reconcile, and plot a course for the future.  Their last names are Davis, which leads to potential miscommunications when the airport announcer (Liggett-a pseudonym) asks for a "W Davis" to report to the gate.  

The announcer takes on an omnipotent presence.  He doesn't just make announcements, he acts as the characters' conscience or guide.  This is a cutesy device which grows old quickly.  Willa is a fiftyish free spirit who claims to be making a fortune in the healing arts, while Bill is a corporate type with an estranged wife and a fifteen-year-old daughter who is angry with him for not being able to attend her dance recital.  He is also having problems relating to his much-younger boss who speaks in a language he doesn't understand.  

We learn not everything is as they seem with these people.  Secrets are revealed later which alter their destinies as they are stranded overnight in the airport in which they seem to be the only two people there.  There are a few extras walking around who later disappear so Willa and Bill can have the place to themselves.   Even the airport bar and restaurant, which should be mobbed, doesn't even have a bartender staffed so Willa and Bill can easily help themselves to booze.  I know, I know, What Happens Later is not meant to be realistic, but a flight of fancy.  

Ryan and Duchovny have undeniable chemistry and play kind, thoughtful people who had plenty of curveballs thrown their way.  The movie is primarily Ryan and Duchovny talking, which is enjoyable for a while, but the movie rolls past its sell-by date.  After a while, we just want these two nice folks to get on their planes, go where they need to go, and we can all move on with our lives.