Netflix’s commitment to the romcom renaissance shows no signs of slowing down. The streaming channel just released the first full trailer for Always Be My Maybe, which stars comedian Ali Wong and Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat) as estranged childhood friends who reconnect.
The synopsis reads: “Childhood friends Sasha and Marcus have a falling out and don’t speak for 15 years. But when Sasha, now a celebrity chef in Los Angeles, returns to her hometown of San Francisco to open a new restaurant, she runs into her old pal—a happily complacent musician still living at home and working for his dad. Though the two are reluctant to reconnect, they soon find the old sparks—and maybe some new ones—are there.”
The film has been in the works for years, with Wong mentioning in a 2016 New Yorker interview that she and Park had long wanted to make what she called “our version of When Harry Met Sally.”
Wong’s pitch immediately took social media by storm, with fans clamoring to see the funny and charismatic duo headline their own film (not to mention a romcom with Asian-American leads). In an interview with Vanity Fair, Wong said, “We started getting all these calls from people like, ‘We want to make the movie,’ and we were like, ‘We haven’t even written it yet.'”
The film is written by Park, Wong, and Michael Golamco (Please Stand By) and directed by Nahnatchka Khan, who created Fresh Off the Boat (Wong wrote for the series, as well) and Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23. The trailer is charming and funny, but its biggest surprise is the inclusion of Keanu Reeves as Wong’s hot new boyfriend.
Wong had reached out to Reeves as a long shot, but it turned out that the erstwhile John Wick was a massive fan of the comedian. He described working on the project to Vanity Fair, saying, “When the invitation came to act with Ali in her film, I was honored … To have had the opportunity to work with such a brave, talented artist and great person was a joy and inspiring.”
After years of kicking ass and taking names in the John Wick series, it is delightful to see Reeves back in the romcom zone. He’s previously done great work as Diane Keaton’s young lover in Something’s Gotta Give and Destination Wedding, and has already shown his comedy skills with the Bill & Ted franchise.
Look, nobody loves John Wick more than I do, but if Keanu Reeves wants to make more romantic comedies, then I am so on board it’s bananas. In the meantime, this movie looks absolutely delightful and a welcome addition to the modern romantic comedy canon.
Always Be My Maybe premieres on Netflix and in select theaters on May 31st.
(via Vanity Fair, image: Netflix)
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