‘For Worse’ review: A heartwarming film that reminds us it’s never too late to be truly happy
4.5/5 hit wedding songs
Marriage has never been meant to be easy, and Amy Landecker’s directorial debut, For Worse, shows us what can happen when marital vows aren’t enough to keep a relationship afloat.
Not only has Lauren (Landecker) recently divorced her husband of ten years, Chase (Paul Adelstein), but now she must deal with being single while he has moved on to a younger woman, Sara (Angelique Cabral).
Moving on is not always easy for older women, especially women with children. Lauren tries, but she can’t help but compare herself to the younger women around her.
To try out her new beginnings, Lauren joins an acting class. There, she befriends her younger Gen Z classmates, falling into their circle after stumbling a bit on the way in. With their help, she learns to let go. Unfortunately, however, she eventually lets go a bit too far.
Weddings are, understandably, still a trigger for her. So when her classmate invites her acting group to her wedding, Lauren agrees under the condition that her new, much-younger beau Sean (Nico Hiraga) stays by her side all evening.
Much of the film takes place at the Palm Springs wedding, so that is where we truly see the story and Lauren’s character come to life. She thinks that because her husband moved on to someone younger, she should, too. However, she does not take into account the ramifications of an age gap, and the night quickly, and disastrously, goes awry.
Something society does not talk enough about is finding love past your thirties, though with films like 2024’s Babygirl and shows like HBO’s unfairly canceled pirate romance-comedy Our Flag Means Death, we are seeing more. Life does not end once you’re in your thirties or even your forties. Everybody deserves to find love, and that is For Worse’s message.
Of course, it hits all the appropriate rom-com beats as well. Some may not like that, since it is technically not anything new. To that, though, I say: That is not where Landecker’s heart is in this film. Sometimes keeping things formulaic is the best decision, and For Worse proves that.
We also cannot forget the additions of Missi Pyle as Lauren’s foul-mouthed best friend Dylan, or Bradley Whitford’s Dave with his trademark dry, humorous delivery. Everybody has space to shine in this film, whether they have one line or dozens. There is also such diversity that is played genuinely and even lovingly.
For Worse celebrates and champions new beginnings, however you find them. It reminds us that we don’t need to overcompensate or settle for something because we deserve more. The characters of this film will quickly worm their way into your heart, for better or … for worse.
As funny as it is heartwarming and heart-wrenching at times, Landecker’s film promises to hold its space in the genre for some time to come. She has created something truly special and important, and I hope others can find it and realize that doing something scary is only scary momentarily. The payoff is worth it.
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