Long term relationships and intimacy aren’t all they are cracked up to be in this exclusive clip from Sasha Gordon’s “It Had to Be You.” Sonia (Cristin Milioti, “Fargo,” “The Mindy Project”) and her boyfriend, Chris (Dan Soder, “Inside Amy Schumer”), are mindlessly watching TV together on the couch when an innocuous question about an email turns into an argument. As their conversation ends, Sonia is questioning Chris’s perception of her.
Chris doesn’t want to pursue his dream job at Google; he’s fine with his life as it is. Sonia isn’t alright with her boyfriend “settling for okay.” “That’s like settling for…seven out of 10!” she says.
Settling — as opposed to knowing you are satisfied with your situation — is a theme and central conflict in “It Had to Be You.” Sonia “has always dreamt of a big and exciting life,” according to the film’s synopsis. When Chris proposes to her out of the blue, Sonia starts to wonder whether she is actually happy in her relationship or just too scared to do what she really wants.
As we’ve previously reported, Gordon’s film strives to break the rom-com mold. The genre often sees the female character waiting passively to be swept off her feet by her beloved’s grand, romantic gesture. In this case, the gesture inspires Sonia to pursue her other passions and find out whether a traditional romance is even what she wants anymore.
Check out the exclusive clip below. “It Had to Be You” opens in theaters this Friday, October 21.