A DISCLAIMER: I had never even heard of What Love Is until I saw the TikTok video of Sean Astin’s character explaining the “11th Man Theory”
…Love begins on Valentines Day with Tom (Cuba Gooding Jr) coming home to a Dear John letter from his live-in girlfriend .One by one, Tom is joined by his closest friends. Together they all discuss love, relationships, Men and women. If these topics aren’t things men usually talk about, they are definitely things all men think about.
Several women arrive at the behest of Tom’s “player with a heart of gold” buddy, Sal (Matthew Lillard). When the ladies go to “freshen up” we get their take on love, relationships, men and women. Upon their return to the small gathering -turned-party, people pair off and the battle of the sexes begins. All the while, Tom waits for his girlfriend to retrieve the last of her things…
These characters talk fast! I feel like I’m watching an old episode of Gilmore Girls, or The West Wing. The subtitles had a hard time keeping up. Clearly writer/director Mars Callahan (who ho also plays Ken) had A LOT to say on these subjects. I like witty, rapid-fire writing a la Kevin Smith, but there were scenes where even I had a hard time keeping up.
FINAL TAKE: I liked What Love Is. The movie caught my attention in the strength of Sean Aston’s 11th man monologue. I wasn’t sure what to expect. This is definitely a break-up movie and not a rom com. The conversations feel very real, if not rapid-fire. Furthermore, they are honest – at times brutally. I don’t know of this movie was originally marketed to exclusively men or women; but there’s something here for everyone. Go watch it!
What Love Is is currently streaming on Tubi
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The article “Rob Reviews ‘What Love Is’ (2007)” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
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