After Ever Happy (2022)

This is just the gift that keeps on giving... Only thing is, once you take the admittedly attractive wrapping from the box, the present is empty! This continues the on/off, love/hate, familial discord of "Tessa" (Josephine Langford) and her beau "Hardin" (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). The thrust here (and there is far less actual thrusting in this film than in the others) seems to be to prove that the young lovers are maturing; they are beginning to realise that they are more two peas in a pod than we might have originally considered. This also develops the roles of the parents - especially "Trish" (Louise Lombard) and "Ken" (Rob Estes) as we discover they have plenty of demons of their own, and so frankly it is no real wonder that the weans have grown up quite so dysfunctional. It is hard to know just quite who this film is for. The story is all over the place, the melodrama weak and implausible and the characterisations become less and less engaging as this tiresome and frankly rather boring franchise drags all of their unwanted dirty washing onto the screen. It is also quite difficult to know whom this is relevant too or for, and HFT is as wooden as a board throughout. The production is adequate, clearly these have been made on a modest budget, but the writing is as infantile as the performances. I gather there are more to come - can't wait!