If you’ve seen one or two teen romantic comedies, you have a good idea of how most of them go. Or almost all of them. After all, the whole genre is one we come to for the certainty of a happy ending. There is a sweet layer of emotion added when the characters are teens. Ah, first love– it makes us all smile. The new Prime Video film How To Date Billy Walsh evokes that feeling. Despite the pedestrian story, the wild details and the talented young performers sell this film.
Archie (Sebastian Croft) and Amelia (Charithra Chandran) have been friends since birth. And that’s not an exaggeration. Their parents met when the hospital accidentally switched them as babies. As you can probably guess, Archie has loved Amelia for years. He’s working up the courage to finally speak the words when her attention is captured by the new guy at school. Billy Walsh (Tanner Buchanan) is a good-looking American transfer student at their high school, and he causes quite a stir. Amelia wants Billy, while Archie wants Amelia.
All of that no doubt sounds familiar. However, How To Date Billy Walsh adds crazy details to liven up the predictability. You often find yourself having fun. And the actors have a freshness and appeal that encourages the audience to invest in a story where we already know the outcome.
“Sometimes you have to listen to what the universe is trying to tell you.”
Archie comes from a wealthy family. He has a chauffeur who drives him and Amelia to school and everything. But that’s where his privilege in the high school hierarchy ends. Archie and Amelia are NOT part of the popular crowd. Not at all. Though they are in their final term, they often endure the bullying of jerks like Tony (Charles Camrose) and Amber (Daisy Jelley). The arrival of Billy Walsh doesn’t change that. Billy’s looks and general aura automatically grant him entry into the popular group but Amelia is eager for romantic experience before school is over, and she wants it to be with Billy.
Of course, she shares her feelings with her best friend, unaware that Archie is in agony over it. Archie’s parents have saved their marriage by consulting someone called the Love Doctor, so Amelia begs Archie to get that number for her. She’s going to get the Love Doctor’s advice so Billy will fall for her. Here’s where Archie makes a questionable decision. He poses as the Love Doctor by using an aging app for video calls. His suggestions are designed to keep her and Billy apart. It’s a good thing Archie narrates this film with frequent breaks of the fourth wall. When he speaks to the camera, his feelings get across with more impact and we feel more empathy for his bad choices.
“If you think too loudly, you’ll never hear the answer you’re looking for.”
Karma is visited on Archie almost instantly, though. Amelia manages to connect with Billy despite Archie’s sabotage. The film doesn’t take the cheap route and make Billy a bad person, and all three actors playing the leads truly engage the audience. Chandran (who you might recognize from the second season of Bridgerton) has an ease with both physical comedy and emotion. And Croft manages a nice Everyguy quality. Out of the supporting actors, The Big Bang Theory fans will be tickled to see Kunal Nayyar (Raj!) as Amelia’s dad. Through all the outrageous, low-brow comedy here, the cast inhabits their roles well.
As the plot leads to everything being revealed and resolved, the viewer can’t help but relate. The premise might stretch believability but the heightened emotions of youth do not. Other teen rom-coms have had smarter humor or sharper dialogue. But the soundtrack is still fun. And the acting is still appealing. And the happy ending is still enjoyable. We still care about the characters and want to see that ending happen for them. How To Date Billy Walsh succeeds in that way though it is flawed overall. This film makes no pioneering or profound grand statement, but rom-com fans will find exactly what they expect.
3 stars out of 5
How To Date Billy Walsh is streaming on Prime Video.
