Young Werther Review: Surprisingly Deep Rom-Com

Young Werther is hilarious, heartfelt, and tense. Strong acting is bolstered by a good script, though there are some poor pacing and directorial choices.

Pill brings a contrasting sense of subtlety and firmness in her performance as Charlotte, making the love that sparks between them star-crossed, a thrill of serendipity progressing either toward a happy ending or a chaotic implosion. Young Werther is humorous and charming, but it relies heavily on rom-com tropes and suffers from poor pacing.

Werther is an aspiring novelist whose writing has never amounted to more than rejected manuscripts, but he sets out to a new city with hopes of spending the summer traveling. He is immediately starstruck when he meets Charlotte, a complex and intelligent woman whose silver spoon life has been harder than most people would expect. Even after learning she’s engaged to Albert (Patrick J. Adams, of Suits), Werther pursues her relentlessly in hopes of a chance at the girl of his (and someone else’s) dreams.

This colorful and romantic story has a deeper underlying message about the consequences of commitment and the costs of love. Werther’s experience of newfound and exciting love is met with hardship and complication, a testament to the reality of human interaction. Love is messy and complicated, and sometimes people get hurt. Charlotte learns this most profoundly, as she learns who to love, how to live, and what’s best for herself. Focusing on this aspect of the rom-com brings about a powerfully enthralling experience to which many can relate.

It’s also loads of fun. If you’re looking for a familiar story that features elements of early 2000s rom-coms, including fun loving best friends and awkward sexual tension in a love triangle, you’ll be pleased with this film. While it offers some hilarious jokes and a somewhat intriguing storyline, it’s nothing revolutionary. The acting, led strongly by Booth and Pill and supported by Adams, is the best part of Young Werther. Not only is Werther and Charlotte’s chemistry believable, but the cast as a whole works perfectly together. This salvages an oddly paced story that attempts to cover too much ground in a short runtime.

Young Werther’s script is well written. I usually detest expositional dialogue, but it is utilized in a clever way to clarify character backstories and interests. Other big moments, such as Werther’s inevitable proclamation of love for Charlotte, are sentimental and avoid being cringeworthy. There are plenty of heartstopping moments throughout; the ending is surprising, the most original portion of the film.

Romantic bliss can only go so far, and the conflict at the heart of Werther and Charlotte’s relationship eventually surfaces. Arriving at the end, however, is a journey writer-director José Lourenço seemed reluctant to embark upon. Long, dialogue-heavy scenes are interrupted by montages over catchy songs to fill in the gaps of lost plot progress. While I think no rom-com is complete without a good montage, Young Werther overuses them, resulting in a disjointed experience overall.

While it doesn’t forge a new path in the rom-com genre, Young Werther is a hilarious, heartfelt, and tense story. Strong acting is bolstered by a good script, and though there are some poor pacing and directorial choices, it’s an ultimately satisfactory watch. Booth and Pill dazzle in this surprisingly deep rom-com.

Young Werther will be released in US theaters, on digital and on demand on December 13, 2024.