FOR WORSE – Review by Sarah Ward
In For Worse, spying a moment when Amy Landecker and Bradley Whitford aren’t acting opposite a previous co-star is rare. Romantic comedies are about connections, after all, and the search for bonds that stick. A likeable addition to the genre, this reflective, frequently funny film about a newly divorced woman finds ways to emphasise that idea not just within but beyond its narrative — while matching a clear love of rom-coms, plus a commitment to expanding past the usual twentysomethings that typically monopolise their frames, with shrewd observations about the truth of experiencing life and love.
This isn’t Landecker and Whitford’s debut on-screen dalliance, or even their second, of course. As well as pairing up the real-life spouses on- and off-screen — Landecker writes and directs, her first full-length credit for each; both produce — For Worse enlists more than a few fellow recognisable faces from the duo’s Transparent days, and also from the Whitford-featuring 2022 movie Rosaline. When the labour-of-love effort skews familiar, then, that applies to the lived-in chemistry between its cast as much as its awareness of romantic comedy tropes and their grounding in reality. Although the film’s storyline delivers few surprises, other than its willingness to be welcomely candid about women, including physically, when they’re considered mature or of a certain age, it always rings emotionally accurate.
Landecker (Shell) brings pluck and sincerity to Lauren, who is initially sighted in happy wedding footage with Chase (Paul Adelstein, Crime 101), then seen a decade later barely tolerating the mediator (Simon Helberg, Poker Face) chatting them through their divorce with platitudes; “today is the day we dissolve this beautiful but failed marriage,” he announces. The man that she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with has already moved on, to younger wellness influencer Sara (Angelique Cabral, The Neighbourhood). Lucy (Chloe Cleary, 9-1-1), Lauren’s daughter with her ex-husband, believes that her mother will find someone else too, yet that optimism, or any eagerness, isn’t proving contagious. The one exception: enrolling in an acting class, endeavouring to reignite the thespian dreams that she abandoned after high school.
Anyone that watched the also-charming Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy in the past year will spot commonalities in Lauren’s path (given that it arrived on streaming in the US and in cinemas internationally the month before For Worse premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film and TV Festival, though, any similarities are merely coincidental). Cue an attractive and youthful man providing a new romantic option, doubts about whether that’s a great choice due to the age gap and generational clashes inspiring comedic chaos. Plus, cue ample fodder to eventually motivate Lauren to seriously assess what she wants for her life, attending a wedding and grappling with the feelings it sparks among them. As the fresh-faced Sean, who is taking the same commercial acting course, Nico Hiraga (Sweethearts) benefits from smart writing — especially when the film explores post-birth and perimenopausal bodies — but imparts a sensitivity that’s all his own. That said, thanks to Whitford’s (Death by Lightning) involvement, For Worse gets its audience waiting for his shared time with Landecker. When those scenes come, they’re luminous, particularly when Lauren and Whitford’s Dave chat while both are worse for wear. The anticipation pays off.
Whitford and Hiraga fare best from the rest of the cast; with Lauren’s journey firmly at its core, and Landecker’s starring role along with it, there isn’t much space in For Worse to flesh out other figures beyond their significance to its protagonist. That’s where an ensemble both talented and comfortable with each other becomes one of the movie’s biggest assets. Landecker knows, as viewers do, that she’s trading in stock-standard — but relatable — supporting character types. She’s equally well-aware that a potent performance by the right actor can give depth to such roles, no matter how brief the part. Accordingly, when Missi Pyle (Granite Rapids Moon) pops up as Lauren’s encouraging best friend, Gaby Hoffman (The Mastermind) as a stern acting teacher, Lilli Kay (Stick) and Kiersey Clemons (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) as classmates, and Liv Hewson (He Had It Coming) and Spencer Stevenson (The Z-Suite) within the latter’s social circle, there isn’t a routine or one-note portrayal among the bunch.
Landecker’s achievements with For Worse, such as the layers to her fearless performance, the honesty of the script, the cohesiveness among the cast and how insightfully the feature embraces the fact that no one ever feels their exact age, won’t astonish those who have followed her career through and past key highlights such as A Serious Man and Transparent. Her knack for gifting her work personal resonance carries over to her writing, regardless of whether she’s weaving in specific details ripped from actuality — focusing on the world of acting for TV ads (where she also scored her start), for instance, or referencing Julia Roberts-led romantic comedy My Best Friend’s Wedding (after doubling for Roberts’ voice on her films). First movies, be it as a director, writer or both, can demonstrate promise, but For Worse fulfils it. Here, audiences always keen for more from Landecker well and truly get it.
