Louis Garrel and Jasmine Trinca navigate the familiar terrain of romantic comedy in "It Will Happen Tonight," a film that embraces classical storytelling with results that feel more nostalgic than fresh. Director Alberto Iglesias sets the tone immediately with gentle, orchestral scoring that signals old-world romance, yet the execution never quite transcends the predictable rhythms of the genre.
The film follows its two leads through years of near-misses and second chances, a structure that could generate genuine tension but instead settles into comfortable, expected beats. Garrel and Trinca share an easy chemistry that works within the film's lighter framework, but the narrative lacks the surprise or emotional depth needed to justify its extended timeline. The script moves through standard rom-com checkpoints with the efficiency of a travel itinerary, hitting each destination but lingering nowhere substantial.
What "It Will Happen Tonight" attempts, it does with sincerity. There's no cynicism here, no meta-commentary on the genre itself. The film commits fully to its old-fashioned sensibilities, from handwritten letters to carefully composed mise-en-scene. That commitment earns a degree of charm, particularly in smaller moments when Garrel and Trinca find genuine tenderness in dialogue or glances. The production design and cinematography maintain a polished, slightly elevated aesthetic that elevates routine scenes.
The problem isn't the film's vintage approach but its reliance on that approach to carry the entire narrative. Modern audiences have seen variations of this story countless times across streaming platforms and indie circuits. The "will they or won't they" dynamic that sustained such films in earlier decades now requires either subversion or exceptional emotional investment to feel earned. "It Will Happen Tonight" offers neither. Instead, it operates as straightforward, competent execution of a well-worn formula.
Iglesias demonstrates technical proficiency throughout. His framing choices feel deliberate, his pacing measured. The film never becomes actively boring, which counts for something in an era when streaming options demand constant novelty. Yet competence without surprise rarely satisfies. The film's length works against it, stretching its modest premise across a duration that tests patience rather than deepens connection.
For viewers seeking comfort-watch material with attractive leads and pleasant aesthetics, "It Will Happen Tonight" delivers exactly that. It functions as a palliative, a film designed to soothe rather than provoke. In that capacity, it succeeds. But the label "old-fashioned" ultimately proves apt, and not in the complimentary sense. This is a film that belongs in an earlier era of cinema, when predictability and sincerity could carry a picture simply because audiences lacked alternative options.
Garrel and Trinca deserve better material. Both actors possess the range to navigate more complex emotional landscapes, as their filmographies demonstrate. Here, they're asked primarily to be likable, to embody romantic yearning through gentle expressions and patient waiting. They accomplish the task, but the assignment itself remains disappointingly narrow.
"It Will Happen Tonight" stands as a reminder that some traditions exist for a reason, and some existed simply because cinema hadn't yet evolved past them.