Along Came Wanda

Most of my critiques of Along Came Wanda are that much of what it does, I’ve seen before. Numerous times. But there is one thing the film does that sets it apart. Along Came Wanda is the first WLW film I’ve seen that includes the Covid-19 pandemic. And especially because this movie is very much a rom-com, I think maybe they shouldn’t have.

In what is obviously, specifically 2020, Mary Beth receives a teapot in the mail from an old acquaintance. This teapot unearths memories and feelings in Mary Beth. She’s currently going through a divorce, meaning she’s already primed to question her life choices and romantic attraction. Right on cue, her friend Wanda rolls up in a van asking if she wants to take a road trip. Mary Beth agrees. The two women set off on a road trip “adventure” where they visit exactly two locations. The first is a wellness retreat and the second is a psychic and old friend of Wanda’s. During their travels, Mary Beth grapples with her attraction to women and Wanda deals with her attraction to Mary Beth.

Okay, so the Covid thing. Along Came Wanda filmed in the midst of Covid restrictions. And it’s definitely the easiest route to just include Covid when you have to film around restrictions like social distancing. But the easiest route isn’t always the best. There’s a scene where Mary Beth, Wanda and two others have half a discussion while wearing masks. Then they all agree they’ve recently tested and take their masks off. I think the better choice would have been to distance the actors and simply not comment on it. I didn’t notice that social distancing is largely adhered to in every scene. What I did notice was the masks, the talk of rapid testing and the specific references to Covid. It makes this movie the opposite of timeless. Even in 2023, the film feels dated. And it dates this comedic film to a very depressing period of time.

Outside of the Covid thing, much of Along Came Wanda is standard comedic and romantic cliches. And none of them are executed particularly well. The pacing is strange because Wanda and Mary Beth are on different journeys. Wanda’s got a crush on Mary Beth. That’s her whole deal. Mary Beth meanwhile, is apparently working through her divorce and attraction to women. So I get that her and Wanda can’t get together immediately. But at the wellness retreat, Mary Beth connects with a woman named Laura. A full act follows their flirtation while Wanda just hams it up in the background. By the third act, Mary Beth knows she likes women. So, that’s done. But her attraction to Wanda doesn’t seem to materialize until the last scene of the film, really.

The issues with Along Came Wanda is that almost all of the comedy is down to Wanda. Cathy DeBuono commits to the role and offers great moments of physical comedy. But these moments always go on way too long. There’s an over reliance on her comedic sensibilities. Wanda’s goofy physical comedy moments often feel out of place with the rest of the film. And having to do almost all of the comedic heavy lifting means that Wanda lacks a high degree of character depth or development. Another reason the romance doesn’t come together is that the film is trying to sell you a romance between the boring Mary Beth and the two dimensional cartoon character that is Wanda.

The romance of Along Came Wanda doesn’t come together. This is a friends to lovers story but we see few scenes of them interacting one on one. The comedy isn’t that strong either. Wanda has to carry too much of the comedic load for the movie overall to read as funny instead of one specific character. Plus, Covid’s not very funny either.

Overall rating: 4/10

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