I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More

Jan 20, 2025 | Posted by in Movies
Wanted

A man meets the woman of his dreams only to discover she’s engaged in José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço’s I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More.

The love triangle is a common trope in romantic comedies. Two people competing for the heart of a third is an easy source of drama, as there is obvious conflict in the efforts undertaken before one of them emerges victorious. It has endured so long because audiences are invited to pick sides and invest in the situation. It also has drawbacks as the person being pursued often comes across as a prize to be won rather than a fully-fledged individual with their own wants, desires and life outside of who they may or may not be romantically paired with.

Wanted

Are you looking for someone to sweep you off your feet?

I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More is adapted from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1774 novel “The Sorrows of Young Werther” about a man chronicling his pursuit of an engaged woman in letters sent to his best friend. The film brings the story into the present day and retains the core concept of Werther (Douglas Booth) pursuing the engaged Charlotte (Alison Pill) despite her being happily engaged to Albert (Patrick J. Adams).

Based on the concept, this would seem to be difficult to engage with as rooting for Werther means endorsing him working to break up a happy relationship to support his desires. It’s a difficult line to walk and, to its credit, I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More handles this as best it can. Werther is characterised as being naive and idealistic with his belief in soulmates being continually reinforced. Regardless of whether the viewer is on his wavelength, his reasoning doesn’t come from a nasty place. There’s an innocence to his pursuit of Charlotte that could be interpreted as endearing.

Of course, his naivety doesn’t excuse that he’s knowingly pursuing an engaged woman, unflinching in his belief that he is better for her than her fiancé. He makes the conscious choice to continue pursuing her when he learns this so there’s no getting away from the obvious issues with that regardless of how charming he may be.

Wanted

Comfortable and familiar!

The film doesn’t shy away from the complexity of the situation. Albert isn’t characterised as being in any way wrong for Charlotte even though some of the standard weaknesses such as being overly focused on his work and being a far less passionate presence in her life than her pursuer. These aren’t used to highlight that Charlotte can do better as there is a shared understanding of the importance of the work Albert does. Werther and Albert both have chemistry with Charlotte but it takes a different form. Charlotte and Werther’s connection is a very playful one that provides the opportunity for lots of laughter and spontaneity whereas Charlotte and Albert’s connection is lived-in and comfortable. This highlights the progression of relationships through different stages.

Werther answers Charlotte’s need to distract herself from taxing responsibilities in her life and Albert represents the stability that she wants and needs in her future. Albert is less expressive than Werther and certainly engages in far less grand gestures but it’s clear that he values her greatly and doesn’t take her for granted. He expresses his affection in a different yet equally valid way and Charlotte picks up on that because of the familiarity and comfort that defines this stage of their relationship. She doesn’t feel ignored as Werther would like to believe so there is nothing to escape where she is concerned, at least at first.

It’s entertaining to watch the actors play off each other. A montage of Werther and Charlotte spending time together in admittedly cliché scenarios is a lot of fun and the scenes she shares with Albert successfully convey the strength of their relationship. They are believably a couple with history that has found a comfortable routine together. The differences in tone between Charlotte/Werther and Charlotte/Albert interactions provide welcome contrast and prevent the film from becoming stale by sustaining shifting energy throughout. There’s plenty of opportunity for the talented cast to engage with the material and it usually entertains.

Of course, there would be less opportunity for drama if Werther was simply wrong about his chances with Charlotte. Complications do arise periodically but the film never strays far from the message of having to accept uncomfortable truths and find an equilibrium with the knowledge that not everything wanted in life will be yours. I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More is at its best when it explores that idea though it does at times handle Charlotte’s temptation to stray with thoughtful maturity. Other times it awkwardly creates angst for the sake of temporary drama and is less effective when it falls into that trap. Doing so undercuts the meaningful commentary on the complexities of relationships and how they progress through different stages.

The film also suffers in how it handles the characters. Charlotte does often embody the role of a prize to be won or kept with limited attention given to who she is as a person beyond the baseline traits established early on and the details of her life that prompt her to embrace the free-spirited distraction that Werther offers. Werther himself is also thinly written at times; largely defined by his obsession with Charlotte that borders on creepy concerningly often. His other major connection is with his hypochondriac friend, Paul (Jaouhar Ben Ayed) who spends most of his time worrying about the infections he may be exposed to in hotel rooms. He largely serves as someone Werther can detail his feelings and plans to. He does this while the germophobe gag is run into the ground. The suggestion of Paul challenging Werther to rethink what he’s doing appears periodically but the film never commits so it’s left as a dangling opportunity never realised.

Wanted

Allow me to woo you!

Albert had the potential to be a more interesting character than he’s ever allowed to be. He’s naive in his own way as he is initially oblivious to Werther’s clear attempts to woo Charlotte though that could be construed as him trusting Charlotte so completely that he isn’t threatened by other men being interested in her in any way. He’s often a distant obstacle for Werther rather than an active participant in the love triangle. The narrative does allow for this by establishing his busy work schedule so he is naturally absent while Charlotte has free time to spend with Werther. The lack of screen time does contribute to the idea that Albert is an obstacle to be overcome which makes it seem as if the film sides with Werther at times.

There’s a strange anachronistic quality to I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More that likely comes from adapting the source material. Dialogue is often unnaturally old-fashioned though that sometimes makes sense given the details of Werther’s upbringing but it doesn’t explain Charlotte, Albert and the other characters talking in similar cadences. This makes the story appear oddly disconnected from the world it takes place in and attempts to modernise aspects of the story fall flat when preserving the spirit of where the characters may have fit into society in the source material. This likely accounts for Charlotte often lacking agency in the love triangle as the novel was written in far less equal times. Oddly, attempts have evidently been made to update the story throughout but certain details conflict with what surrounds them. What results is an awkwardly timeless viewing experience that is difficult to relate to.

Despite its shortcomings, I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More is often engaging and intermittently provides thoughtful commentary on how relationships change and evolve over time. It may be buried under an often problematic love triangle plot but the script definitely has things to say about romantic ideals and desires giving way to reality that are intermittently interesting, even if these ideas aren’t as central as they should be. It tries to be a charming rom-com about passion and spontaneity at the same time as a tragic story about love unrequited without realising that it’s impossible to be both without introducing some sort of meaningful caveat to tie both together. As a viewing experience, it’s diverting enough but it never rises to its full potential.

Wanted

Is there something here?


Verdict

An engaging and thoughtful commentary on romantic ideals and desires giving way to reality is often overwhelmed by an unfocused script that struggles to define what the film wants to be.

Overall
  • "I've Never Wanted You More"
2

Summary

Kneel Before…

  • Werther’s characterisation going some way towards supporting the story being told
  • not shying away from the complexity of the situation
  • the differences in the type of chemistry Charlotte has with Werther and Albert
  • some thoughtful and mature messaging about the stages of relationships
  • the differences in tone between the Charlotte/Werther and Charlotte/Albert interactions maintaining shifting energy throughout the film

 

Rise Against…

  • Charlotte often coming across as a prize to be won
  • not using the opportunity to make Albert a more interesting character
  • Werther straying into the territory of being creepy
  • awkwardly creating angst for the sake of drama
  • the strange anachronistic quality to the script
  • trying to be a charming rom-com and a tragic story about love unrequited at the same time

 

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