What Happens Later Review: Meg Ryan’s Big Screen Return Is (Mostly) A Triumph

Is there any actor more synonymous with the rom-com than Meg Ryan? The beloved star has made her mark on the genre with classics such as When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, and she now returns to the screen with another earnest entry to the rom-com canon. What Happens Later, arriving in theaters this week after being postponed by another romance icon, Taylor Swift and her Eras Tour movie, marks Ryan’s first movie in eight years, and the second she has directed. In many ways, it feels like the perfect project to bring the actor/director/writer back to movie-making, with its simple setup paving the way for a timeless sort of story. What Happens Later isn’t without some hiccups in its execution, but with Ryan at the helm, it’s impossible not to feel charmed.