By Becca Johnson - February 3, 2025
A modern retelling of epistolary novel ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’, published in 1774 and written by Johann Wolfgang Goethe, I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More is a rom-com starring Douglas Booth (Noah) and Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). Directed by Jose Lourenco, it follows a charming, passionate irresponsible young writer called Werther who is sent to the city on an errand by his mother. By chance, he meets the lovely Charlotte, whose allure and commitment to her impressive, stable fiancé Albert will turn Werther’s life upside-down. Werther and Charlotte embark on an emotional affair, while Werther and Albert start a unique friendship. The more entwined this trio becomes, the harder it is to navigate the complexities of lust, affinity and love.
Well acted and competently made with a unique, bubbly romance at the centre, I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More puts a fun modern spin on the novel, though the obvious aging of this story sets it back a little.
Rom-coms are as frequent as the sky is blue, particularly during the month of February where love is at the centre for many of us, and most would argue they rarely offer up something we haven’t seen before. This is where I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More excels. It takes the standard tropes of love at first sight and winning over the heart of our crush, and combines them with themes of unrequited love, platonic love, rejection, emotional affairs and more. It explores the idea of cheating on your partner despite not doing anything physically, and how selfish we can really be when we love someone, especially someone we shouldn’t. These ideas are rarely explored within the genre, and are given a lot of care and attention here.
Most of its unique nature is down to Douglas Booth and his character Werther, who’s too playful and immature nature often gets him into trouble. He’s incredibly self-absorbed and makes mistakes, but his bubbly, infectious personality leaps off the screen and helps us enjoy him as a character nonetheless. He’s an odd soul who turns I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More into something wildly different. It also helps that the film boasts a great visual style, from the old-fashioned opening credits to the bright colours that help things feel fresh and fun. The script, subverting expectations from beginning to end, has plenty of tricks up its sleeve to ensure the movie remains exciting and different.
Of course, the reason the character of Werther is able to impact us so greatly is down to the fabulous performance from Douglas Booth. Oozing charm, charisma and that semi-annoying loved-up nature that makes Werther so believably smitten and restless, Booth brings this character to life flawlessly. Starring opposite as love interest Charlotte, who is already set to marry fiancé Albert is Alison Pill - she is also great. Boasting tangible chemistry with Booth and a clever, fun nature that makes us totally get why Werther is head-over-heels, she is cast perfectly here and proves how underutilised Pill remains. Any scenes involving Werther and Charlotte laughing, talking and goofing around are the best of the movie, as their bond is both believable and adorable - even though they aren’t together romantically. Despite lacking screen-time due to his characters tendency to put work before his partner, fiancé Albert is mastered well by Patrick J. Adams (Suits). He hits the nail on the head when portraying the suave, workaholic lawyer fiancé, and his awkward friendship with Werther provides many an entertaining sequence. Iris Apatow also stars as Charlotte’s younger sister Sissy, and she is effortlessly funny.
Despite I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More helming a unique lead character that makes this rom-com stand out, Werther will make or break the viewing experience - and it’ll entirely depend upon the audience. At times he comes across as annoying, as it takes a while for him to accept responsibility and curb his self-indulgent, ‘it’s all about me’ nature. Whilst this allows for a decent character arc, it doesn’t prevent the fact that he’s downright irritating and perhaps for some, insufferable. There’s also a lot to question within his actions, as he will truly stop at nothing to win over Charlotte - despite the fact she is engaged to be married to someone else, someone he gets on well with.
This theme may be a little outdated, with todays younger audience members likely citing his actions as ‘stalker-ish’ and creepy. He turns up unannounced, pokes his head in where he shouldn’t and is very interfering from beginning to end. For some, this may prevent them from rooting for him and the potential of a relationship with Charlotte. Furthermore, it’s easy to imagine whether under all the fluff of his character and the themes of what he brings to the table, is a bog-standard rom-com that’s story isn’t all as wild as it seems.
I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More is certainly worth a viewing around Valentine’s Day. The performances are terrific, the filmmaking elements are more playful than expected and it occasionally subverts expectations to create something that feels fresh. Werther may be a little too much to stomach for some, with questionable actions and a pushy nature, but if not approached too seriously, it can still be considered as a fun rom-com with plenty of flair.
Out now on digital platforms
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