‘I Want You Back’ a super-cute yet unpredictable rom-com

One of the reasonably fresh concepts for romance-theory nerds in “I Want You Back” (Amazon Prime) is the “slow burn.” Lots of people can be a brief fling and quickly burn out, argues Jenny Slate’s Emma, but someone who gets under your skin over the course of months is rarer and more special.

Eternal flames

Well, in the case of Peter (“Always Sunny’s” Charlie Day), the slow burn might take a year … or two … but eventually his value will become known to his partner. In formulating the particular slowness of Peter’s burn, Emma tops off one of the many bits of chuckle-worthy humor. But “IWYB” is as much rom as com: Her humorous remark doubles as an honest observation about the value of Peter – something that’s not as apparent as, say, the appeal of Emma’s ex, workout-aholic Noah (Scott Eastwood).

“I Want You Back” (please forgive the forgettable title) is so loaded with heart-smart scenes that I assumed I’d see big-name filmmakers in the credits. Not exactly. Writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger wrote “Love, Simon,” which I haven’t seen but which is apparently a standard rom-com, only with gay teens. They also contributed to the Kleenex-worthy writing on TV’s “This Is Us.”

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For director Jason Orley, “I Want You Back” is by far his major credit. Indeed, Orley no doubt deserves credit for getting such perfect takes from Slate and Day. Of course, the actors’ chemistry – and the decision to cast them as leads rather than as quirky sidekicks – also deserves credit.

The conversational rhythms between Peter and Emma are not precisely comparable to anything. Aptaker and Berger don’t pile on zingers like a sitcom, nor do they craft fast-talking repartee like the Palladinos or Sorkin would do, nor do they ask their leads to do a ton of awkward behavioral humor in the British vein. Peter and Emma converse like two normal people who find they love talking (and listening) to each other.

But naturalistic comedies can feel undercooked. That’s not the case in “IWYB,” which is lovingly crafted and deftly paced. “IWYB” starts with a grounded reality then peppers in sharp points about relationships.

Appealing tangents

That said, we can’t ignore the high-concept premise in the room: After Noah breaks up with Emma, and Anne (Gina Rodriguez) calls it quits with Peter, Emma and Peter (who meet in the stairwell of their office building, where both have gone to cry in private) devise a scheme to help each other win their exes back.

Sure, we expect Emma and Peter will eventually discover (with shock!) that they like each other, and it will be super-cute, etc. What’s so impressive about “IWYB” is that it sweeps a viewer into its world so much that we forget we know the end point in advance.

“IWYB” uses its 116 minutes (too long for a worse movie; perfect for this gem) to take us through side arcs, all of which are unpredictable and populated by funny personalities. To execute her seduction scheme, Emma volunteers with a middle school theater troupe led by Anne’s new lover Logan (Manny Jacinto), whose contrived sense of cultivation about musicals and French wines is amusingly out of place. This guy’s self-written blurb includes “Human” among his traits.

Meanwhile, Peter strikes up a calculated yet genuine friendship with Noah. This arc is more by-the-book. Out-of-shape Peter wheezes through four-mile runs that Noah finds exhilarating.

What’s exhilarating about the viewing experience is that there’s so much living on display. Peter makes a true pal, and he’s getting in shape. Emma makes friends with a 12-year-old boy going through parental divorce stress and sadness. In a lesser film, this would be a case of the screenplay straying; here, the story is breathing.

A lesser film would also have villains among the supporting cast. In “IWYB,” Logan comes closest, but he’s rather endearing in his ridiculous nature; as Emma observes, Logan could benefit from relaxing more. In the opening breakup scenes, Noah and Anne are not unfeeling; they have assessed their relationships and made a decision.

Foundation of friendship

Of course (c’mon, we have to allow one of course in a rom-com), the film’s expected pleasure is that Peter and Emma spend all this time together without realizing their time together is special – then their light bulbs go on and we giggle and hug our couch pillows. Yes, we get that experience, but this isn’t a paint-by-numbers cartoon.

Peter and Emma sympathize with each other’s romantic plights and the unique aspects of each, they are respectful toward one another, and when they do engage in ribbing – as per Emma’s “slow burn” observation – it comes from a desire to help and encourage.

When “I Want You Back” gets to the point where Peter’s and Emma’s bulbs illuminate, the actors and screenplay maintain the low-key vibe that has made the ride so refreshing. We’re treated to Day and Slate acting with internally driven expressions – going beyond the funny faces they get mileage from in straightforward joke flicks.

And we get one particularly nice twist (that makes perfect sense in retrospect, so maybe it was just a twist to me). The moment left me choked up with its heartfelt sweetness. Logan announces he’s human; Peter and Emma show us they are. And – appropriate for this genre – I absolutely love them for it.