Molly Fox '26
Meg Ryan recently directed, produced, and starred in What Happens Later with David Duchovny, released on November 3, 2023. What Happens Later is a lighthearted romantic comedy meant to be similar to Ryan’s previous films, such as You’ve Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle.
The film is set in an airport where Meg Ryan’s character, Willa, and David Duchovny’s character, Bill, reunite years after their break up when both of their flights have been delayed due to a snowstorm. They always believed they wanted different things, that he was a straightedge and she was a free spirit.
They are the only two physical characters in the movie while there is a voice meant to be an airport monitor throughout the movie. They spend the movie reminiscing and bickering about the past and where they are now. He is contemplating returning to Boston to see his daughter’s dance recital or continuing his journey to Houston for a business trip while she is traveling to Boston for unknown reasons. Will they continue their separate lives or continue their journey together?
In my opinion, I would not consider this movie a romantic comedy. He followed her blindly in their relationship while she broke up with him for lack of a reason to be together. He formed the life he told her he did not want, and she waited until after their relationship ended to form relations she told him she previously had. Yes, they had clearly been in love at one point, but was it really better for them to reunite and receive the answers they did not truly want or need?
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