What If

Daniel Radcliffe headlines a cute, quintessentially indie romantic comedy that thinks it's a bit cleverer than it actually is. It's quite the opposite for the character he plays, however - a medical school dropout who's lost his faith in love after a break-up. So he takes solace in his friendship with a cartoon animator, played with familiar kookiness by Ruby Sparks star Zoe Kazan (her affectations enhanced by doodles that spring to life), but it's painfully clear that Radcliffe wants more. His main obstacle is Rafe Spall as Kazan's long-time boyfriend, who is instrumental in the film's funniest moments. Mostly, though, director Michael Dowse (Goon) relies on the witty banter between his leads to keep the formulaic action zipping along. Radcliffe isn't quite as comfortable as his co-star with this screwball approach and shrewdly tries a few Hugh Grant-style tics, making a virtue of his very British awkwardness. Ironically, the chemistry is better when the two leads are not flirting with each other.