There are so many amazing romance novels out there that deserve to be made into movies. When I saw the trailer for After back in November, I couldn’t help but get hyped. Well, until I tried to read the book. I did not finish it. I only made it about five chapters in, to be honest.
Life’s too short to read crappy books, so I made the executive decision to DNF (do not finish) and returned it to the library. But I still wanted to see the movie.
I have some extra time on my hands this week, so yesterday, I went to see it and here are my thoughts (spoilers, obviously):
-Tessa and Noah have been dating BASICALLY THEIR WHOLE LIVES and they’re both still virgins? How is that possible? What teen guy (or girl) doesn’t want to have sex with their long-term boyfriend? I’m being facetious, of course, I realize plenty of teenagers don’t have sex. But these two have been together a long time. There has to be a reason they’ve never slept together, like their religion, or I guess just not being ready, but we’re never told it! Ridiculous.
-Hardin is a jerk when he first meets Tessa. Romance writers love this trope. I typically do not.
-Hero Fiennes (Hardin) is not a good actor. His wooden delivery takes me out of the scene quite a few times. The only time he doesn’t bother me is during the kissing/sex scenes when he’s not talking.
-Josephine Langford is a good actress. She’s very real and authentic.
-For someone who has a long-term boyfriend, Tessa sure forgets about Noah easily when she’s with Hardin.
-We learn next to nothing about Hardin except he likes classic literature, he’s half British, and his dad sucks.
-We learn next to nothing about Tessa except she loves classic literature, she’s from Atlanta, and her dad left when she was ten and it was just her and her mom from then on.
-Tessa’s not at all freaked out when Landon (Hardin’s stepbrother and her friend) calls her and she sees all the destruction Hardin has wreaked at his home. The boy has anger control problems and it’s a red flag. A normal girl would be worried. Luckily for Hardin, Tessa isn’t (normal or worried).
-Tessa and Noah’s break up is just weird. They don’t even have a conversation, he just sees Hardin, gets upset, and leaves in a huff. You’ve been with this girl forever and have most likely loved her a long time yet you’re just going to drive off without even talking about it?
-Tessa tells Hardin Noah is her “best friend” yet we see zero evidence of that. No constant texting or phone calls or emails. Nothing.
-Tess’s mom walks in on Tessa and Hardin making out and pretty much immediately assumes Tessa is throwing her life away on “that boy” and cuts Tessa off without having a conversation about it? Even though it’s just been the two of them for years and you’d think they’re close enough that cutting her off would at least warrant a calm conversation?
-Tess does not seem at all bothered about being cut off when she really should be.
-How long have Tessa and Hardin been “dating” when they move in together? A few weeks? Either way, instead of being freaked out or hesitant when he suggests it, she’s just like, “Okay!”
-Tessa and Hardin move in together and they don’t have sex right away? They wait until the night of his dad’s wedding? Not buying that a hyper sexual guy like Hardin would wait that long.
-The sex scene is pretty good. One of the few bright spots in this movie.
-We find out during the dramatic bet reveal scene that no one knew Tessa and Hardin were living together, not any of Hardin’s friends, not even Tessa’s former roommate?! How is that possible?
-The whole bet reveal scene is soooo stupid. Why does Hardin just let his bitchy friend play the video for Tessa? Why doesn’t he grab it out of her hand and then delete it and explain? Instead he just stands there, with a stricken expression on his face, while it plays and Tessa watches it.
-The end is lame. I get that they wanted to leave the potential for a sequel but yeah. Lame.
-In conclusion, I liked Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes’ romantic chemistry. The kissing and sex scenes were good. Any scene where they had to talk about anything serious was not (I also liked the hamburger scene). After is an okay movie if you’re looking for pure romance escapism. Just don’t think about it too hard.