You’d have to be living under a rock if you haven’t yet encountered any publicity for “Materialists”, the new Celine Song-directed romantic movie featuring an A-list triangle between Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans. (The trio has been busy on the promo circuit these past few weeks.)
That film, which sees Johnson play a modern-day matchmaker in New York City, had us reminiscing about another one of the actress’s recent romantic titles — no, none of that “Fifty Shades” mess, but rather “Am I OK?” a queer 2022 dramedy co-directed by married couple Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne.
Coming out during a summer saturated with Dakota Johnson performances (including “Cha Cha Real Smooth” and “Persuasion”), “Am I OK?” is a standout for the performer, playing a woman navigating coming out in her thirties. And the sweet flick is currently available to watch on HBO Max — here’s why you should add the rom-com to your next watch list.
What is ‘Am I OK?’ about?
Johnson stars as Lucy, a 32-year-old woman living in Los Angeles with her lifelong best friend Jane (Sonoya Mizuno). Lucy has been unsatisfied in her romantic relationships with men, and, after a little soul-searching, she realizes that the problem might not be guys at all — it might be girls.
However, Lucy’s late-in-life self-discovery about her sexuality comes at a complicated time, with Jane receiving a work promotion that requires her to relocate to London. Ahead of the impending move, Jane encourages her bestie to explore her burgeoning feelings, including pursuing a flirtation with her massage therapist co-worker, Brittany (Kiersey Clemons).
Soon, Lucy and Jane are traversing a tricky landscape of friendship, acceptance and growth as Lucy comes to terms with who she really is and what she really wants. (Writer-producer Lauren Pomerantz reportedly penned the script based on her own experience of coming out in her 30s.)
Why should you watch ‘Am I OK?’ on Max?
Most coming-out comedies tend to skew younger, in the high school and college age ranges, so it’s refreshing to have some late-bloomer screen representation in an LGBTQ+ movie.
“Am I OK?” has a solid 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critical consensus notes, “Anchored in an authentically relatable approach to its story of self-discovery, ‘Am I OK?’ is further elevated by strong work from Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno.”
Along with critical love for the film’s ” touchingly personal script by Lauren Pomerantz” (per Peter Travers for ABC News), Johnson and Mizuno’s onscreen chemistry was widely praised, with John Anderson of the Wall Street Journal commending the co-stars for spinning “a convincing friendship out of a gossamer narrative, and an engaging relationship out of pure charm.”
Calling “Am I OK?” one of the most exciting indie movies out of 2022’s Sundance Film Festival, The Atlantic’s Shirley Li dubbed the flick “part romantic comedy, part coming-out story, part much-delayed coming-of-age tale — and all breezily charming.” Sounds more than OK to us!
Watch “Am I OK?” on HBO Max now
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