There is no shortage of Rom-Coms out there, and sometimes it can feel as if we are being oversaturated by them. They all tend to have the same formula and seem to end similarly. But now and then, we find one that makes us say, “Hmm, now this is something I haven’t seen before.” That’s how I felt watching Passionflix’s latest release, Wallbanger.
Wallbanger, directed by Tosca Musk and based on the book by Alice Clayton, follows Caroline (Kelli Berglund), a single interior designer, who moves into what seems like the perfect apartment only to be awakened nightly by her neighbor, Simon the “wallbanger,” (Amadeus Serafini) sparking an unexpected, tension-filled connection. Why is Simon referred to as “Wallbanger,” you might ask; well, he earned this nickname by way of Caroline because his umm..extracurricular activities are keeping her from a peaceful night’s rest, so much so that it’s causing literal banging on her wall where their rooms connect.
Caroline tries to get a glimpse of her neighbor, but she can only ever see him from behind as he says goodbye to what she refers to as his harem. For Caroline, all she knows is he’s cutting into her rest, and after a failed night of her trying to do a little self-love, she reaches her breaking point and shows up on his doorstep to give him a piece of her mind. From then on, she’s dubbed “Pink nightie girl,” you already know Simons’s nickname. After running into each other again at a party hosted by her boss, Jillian (Roselyn Sanchez), who used to live in the apartment before subletting it to Caroline, Caroline and Simon end up having a heated exchange before sharing a steamy kiss that surprises them. It’s then that they develop a truce and decide to stop fighting.
As most enemies-to-lovers tropes go, there is always the will they won’t they aspect. As Caroline and Simon spend more and more time together, they realize they are not so different. Caroline quickly learns that she’s misjudged Simon. As she gets to know him, she learns more about the ladies he’s spent the night with. That was probably one of the most exciting things that I liked. Although Simon had physical relationships with the women, it was still about connecting somehow. He wasn’t being over the top or flaunting his relationships. He seemed quite protective of the women, and he defended them to Caroline whenever he felt she was saying something wrong about them.
Something else I liked about Wallbanger was that Caroline and Simon didn’t rush into a relationship immediately. There was a buildup to it. I enjoyed watching them be playful with one another because Berglund and Serafini have such great chemistry. Serafini is incredibly charming as Simon and Berglund has a fiery, no holds barred personality and she’s just as charming. They each played both the cutesy moments and the moments they were getting into their little verbal spats perfectly. Once Simon and Caroline decided to take their relationship to the next level, she went to Spain for his photography job with him. There, they got even closer and finally slept together. Unfortunately, it’s not the experience Caroline thought it would be.
Caroline has been having an issue finding “The Big O” again. After a horrible one-night stand that seemed to have scared her orgasm away, she’s been struggling to get it back. Caroline thought it would return once she was with someone she wanted to be with, but it turns out it’s not easy. That was probably one of the other things I liked about this story. I thought that Simon would be the one to help Caroline get her “big O” back, but the book’s author flipped that and made the moment more real. That was a twist because in most romance books I’ve read, if a woman is having difficulties in the intimacy department, the new guy in their life is the one who magically “saves” her. I also re3ally liked that Simon and Caroline had a genuine conversation about it, and he was so understanding of her needs, and he didn’t make it all about him.
Wallbanger is a feel-good Rom-Com that hits all the right beats (No pun intended). There’s a little bit of everything in this film. We have some unexpected matchmaking between Caroline and Simon’s friends Sophia (Abbey May), Mimi (Cathy Ang), Neil (Cedrick Cooper), and Ryan (Colin Ford). There’s some mischief courtesy of Caroline’s cat, Clive. And a whole lot of baked goods that were making me hungry. There’s even a cute little fantasy moment in there and that’s all I’ll say. You’ll have to watch the film to see exactly what I’m referring to. All in all, I would have to say Wallbanger did not disappoint. This is a film that can easily be placed on any Rom-Com lovers list.
Wallbanger is available to stream April 11th on Passionflix.