Look Both Ways Review: The Grass Seems Greener…

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times — there need to be more movies and television shows following the period of time right after college graduation. Netflix’s latest original film, Look Both Ways, does exactly that.

Riverdale‘s Lili Reinhart stars as Natalie, a girl with a five-year plan. She’s going to graduate with honors from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook em!), so she can get a good job in LA. There, she’ll impress her boss, so she can carve a path in the industry and eventually make her own movies.

As someone who went to school at UT Austin, and has lived in LA, Look Both Ways is right up my alley.

There would be no story if there was no conflict, and the film hinges on what is essentially a one-night-stand with her best friend Gabe. An indeterminate amount of time later, she’s throwing up at her graduation night party. Uh Oh.

Originally titled Plus/Minus (they should have kept this title), this is where Look Both Ways starts to get a little bit confusing. The film’s entire premise is to show what Natalie’s life would be like if she is/isn’t pregnant immediately following graduation, so we follow each of those realities.

Essentially, if you enjoyed NBC’s Ordinary Joe, you’ll love this movie.

What Ordinary Joe was great at was making it very clear what version of Joe we were watching through its clever color palate. Outside of the scenes where she’s visibly pregnant or dealing with an infant, it can be difficult to parse out if we’re following LA or Mom Natalie.

Thankfully, once she’s postpartum, “Mom Nat” gets a haircut so it’s a little easier. That is, at least until “LA Nat” gets the same haircut toward the end of the movie, and “Mom Nat” grows her hair out again. 

Beyond the visual confusion, the film does an excellent job at letting Lili Reinhart show off her acting chops.

In the early scenes, when pregnant Natalie has to give up on her dream to move to LA with her best friend, it’s hard not to get emotional watching Reinhart’s teary puppy dog eyes well up. Then later when “LA Nat” realizes her 5-year-plan is off its rails, you can’t help but empathize.

While Lili plays the same character at so many different points in life, she still somehow creates cohesion between these different timelines. She’s obviously the focal point of the film, and she carries the weight masterfully.

For what it’s worth, Look Both Ways makes a point to show that in the reality where Natalie gets pregnant before graduation, she chooses to have the baby. While I’m sure this was filmed before the current state of the pro-choice movement, the irony isn’t lost that this is a movie set in Texas.

Would it have been a more compelling story if she had been pregnant in either reality, and she had to make her choice from there? Maybe! I understand that Netflix was looking to make a light-hearted film and to avoid getting into a political discussion, but it is unfortunate timing on their part.

Overall, I appreciate the moral of the story; there’s no right path to achieve your goals, and there’s no time limit to reach them either. It does exactly what a post-grad set film should do — reassure everyone that it’s okay not to have it figured out right after college, and it’s okay if your plans change.

It’s also a smart choice to let Natalie find love with different men, depending on her reality. Rather than boxing itself into the “one true love” trope, Look Both Ways allows its protagonist to find a partner that fits her lifestyle.

I worried that Gabe was going to be “the one” for LA Nat, and she would come to regret her decision to move to California. Instead, she meets and falls in love with Jake, a really lovely character whose goals and lifestyle align well with her own.

Both Danny Ramirez and David Corenswet are excellent leading men, oozing with charisma. They each have wonderful chemistry with Reinhart so that even when the realities crossover, you can imagine her connecting with their characters regardless of her path.

Netflix is no stranger to having a hot, young cast leading a YA-skewing title. While they can sometimes (let’s face it, often) be not worth watching, Look Both Ways provides a bit more of an elevated story, placing it closer to Somebody Great than the Kissing Booth trilogy.

It’s an affirming little “figuring it out” story with great performances from its cast, and there’s only a mildly confusing timeline to follow.

Stray Thoughts:

• The adults in the cast are excellent supplements to the main story.
• Nia Long in particular is the epitome of boss bitch, and I’m glad she doesn’t fall too far into the Miranda Priestly stereotype
• Luke Wilson as the lovable dolt of a father — chef’s kiss!
• Coming from a Texan, the film really nails the Texan subtleties.
• The Austin geography is a little off. There’s no way they could have appeared on that bridge downtown Austin right after leaving their graduation party.
• The film criminally underuses Aisha Dee! I would have loved to see more of her character’s own journey.
• Natalie is a crappy friend to Cara in both realities.

What did you think of Look Both Ways? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Look Both Ways is now streaming on Netflix.

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