The Best You Can Review
The Best You Can (2025) Film Review from the 24th Annual Tribeca Film Festival, a movie directed by Michael J. Weithorn, written by Michael J. Weithorn, and starring Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Judd Hirsch, Brittany O’Grady, Olivia Luccardi, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Ray Romano, Misha Brooks, and Heather Burns.
The rom-com genre has become one of the more elusive genres in film. Especially in recent years, as comedy films have become harder and harder to come by, the rom-com has found a cozy place to cuddle up in the straight-to-streaming format and Lifetime Originals. Beloved by many, it’s a genre that can become too formulaic for its own good. For his new film, The Best You Can, writer and director Michael J. Weithorn takes an interesting new swing by using everybody’s favorite celebrity couple (sorry, Kurt and Goldie), Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, as our in-and-out-of-love lead characters.
Their clever casting works on multiple levels. In addition to the natural chemistry that their characters, Stan and Cynthia, can barely contain in early “meet cute scenes” of the film, their older age adds a whimsical element to the picture. Especially as we watch them exchange those nervous first text messages, which quickly blossom into a friendship before anything else. The idea that it’s never too late to fall in love and that person meant for you may just be the security guard in your Brooklyn neighborhood.
The Best You Can follows many similar beats that the genre traditionally calls for. Cynthia Rand (Kyra Sedgwick) is a highly successful urologist who is married to an even more revered investigative reporter and writer, Warren Rand (A delightful Judd Hirsch), many years her senior. Although the character is constantly questioned about their surmisable age gap, and at times it does feel like Cynthia is fulfilling the role of caretaker and not wife, Weithorn does a solid job ensuring that their love is real in small, intimate moments. But Warren is suffering from dementia, and as the days go by, Cynthia is becoming more of a helper than a wife.
One night, as they sleep soundly in their gated Brooklyn community, the on-duty security guard, Stan Olszewski (Kevin Bacon), is alerted to a potential home invasion in progress. Cue the “meet cute”! As Stan enters the home through an open window, he is bludgeoned over the head by a frightened Cynthia. Oh, and what do you know, Stan has prostate issues! The house is cleared and as a token of her appreciation, Cynthia offers to examine Stan at her practice to help with his urination problems. All of these scenes are wildly cute and humorous and while the script is perfectly acceptable, the dialogue shines when spoken by these two real-life lovebirds.
Little by little their relationship grows into something real. Stan feels like a character that Kevin Bacon could have embodied in another universe. A pseudo-stoner who never made it in music now works as an overnight security guard. He’s charming, empathetic, and grounded, unlike most characters in the genre.
Stan has a daughter from a previous marriage, Sammi (Brittany O’Grady), who he’s constantly trying to inspire to follow her dreams of being a musician. Stan sees an opportunity for her life to work out the way his never did. Unfortunately, this is probably the weakest part of the film. Sammi’s plotline feels unnecessarily thrust into the film only to serve as more fodder for Stan’s story. It doesn’t detract from the overall film too much, but it could have been even tighter without it.
The coolest thing about this movie is that it feels like it was made by old friends. There is an ease and comfort between characters that illuminates an otherwise by-the-book romantic comedy. Hirsch, Bacon, and Sedgwick all doubled as executive producers, and their belief in the project is clear from the very first frames. It’s emotional, heartfelt, and safe, but the real-life power couple that leads the film makes it more than worth your time.
Rating: 7/10
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