Depending on the context, bumping into an ex during a snowstorm that prevents their flight from taking off can be a nightmare. Or a romantic comedy. In this case, we immediately think of Meg Ryan, the “queen of rom-coms” and star of some of the best films of the genre in recent decades. Unsurprisingly, to tell us this story, she came out of retirement after eight years away from the screen to give us What Happens Next, a romantic film starring and directed by her.

The film’s synopsis is simple, as I said above, and is just the beginning of a frank conversation that is over 20 years old between a former couple, Meg and David Duchovny, who are going in opposite directions but were forced to spend the night in an airport in the middle of nowhere, where they can’t avoid each other or, even less, come clean about many of the issues that separated them years ago.

It’s impossible to watch What Happens Next without thinking about Nora Ephron, the director of Meg Ryan’s most-known movies and to whom she dedicates the film. The script is good, and the pace is okay, but the material would be impactful in the hands of the director who unfortunately passed away 12 years ago.

In a scenario where there are only the two main characters on screen (and a hilarious announcer at the airport, who we never see), it’s totally theatrical because, effectively, it’s an adaptation of a Broadway hit, called Shooting Star.

Written by Steven Dietz, who co-wrote the script with Meg, the play explores the romantic doubts of unresolved past loves. In this case, Bill and Willa, although they have separated amicably, are still uncomfortable with each other due to suspicions and polite half-truths. The night is clearly going to be long.

Transforming an airport into a place that is both magical and unreal is part of the fantasy here, from the music that plays to the hilarious messages on the loudspeaker, the strangeness gradually overcomes us amidst so much chatter, and there is a lot of it, we connect with the couple and dream of a better world.

It is not possible to go into details and reveal the secrets of the plot because there is not a wealth of them. They are conducted with a firm hand by Meg Ryan, who is even stranger repeating the neurotic/crazy genre of her characters from 40 years ago which sounds out of place at 62 years old. What balances things out is Duchovny’s undeniable charisma, and – because of the two stars’ friendship off-screen – the undeniable chemistry between them.

I hope Meg Ryan dedicates herself to the space that exists to be explored behind the camera. Besides Nora Ephron, Nancy Meyers is the most prominent director of rom-coms and the genre deserves to be maintained. And the dedication to the director, when the credits roll, warms the heart. And makes it worth checking out the film. I’m on the team rooting for it to continue!

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