Lauren (Amy Landecker), who is in her early 50s, finds herself at a crossroads when she and Chase (Paul Adelstein) finally sign their divorce papers. Luckily it’s amicable, but Chase is already in a new relationship with Sara (Angelique Carbal), a young and upbeat influencer who shares wellness advice online, which is hard on Lauren—especially as she has already formed a bond with Lauren and Chase’s daughter, Lucy (Chloe Cleary). A former actress, Lauren attends a commercial acting class, hosted by the serious and eccentric Liz (Gaby Hoffman), who views commercial acting as a valuable art form. In a class full of 20-somethings, Lauren finds herself partaking in a fun fling with her scene partner, the polite and laidback Sean (Nico Hiraga).
Lauren’s best friend Julie (Missi Pyle) encourages Lauren to reconnect with her passion for acting and to have fun with Sean. The fling continues when fellow student Maria (Kiersey Clemons) invites the class to her and Justine’s (Briana Venskus) wedding—a full weekend event paid for by Maria’s mum Debbie (Enuka Okuma) and her cheerful stepfather Chuck (Jay Lacopo), who contrasts her grumpy dad, Dave (Bradley Whitford). Struggling with her sobriety (keep those diet cokes coming!), Lauren finds herself in a world she otherwise wouldn’t have entered as she tries to keep up with the drunk 25-year-old bridesmaids who instantly flock to Sean, leaving Lauren feeling insecure. While Landecker and Hiraga are excellent in their roles, it’s hard to believe there’s actual chemistry between them, mainly because Hiraga seems to lack sex appeal.
For Worse joins the ranks of 27 Dresses, Bridesmaids, and And Mrs as a wedding romcom. Landecker, who also wrote, directed, and produced the film, based it on her own experiences of going through a challenging and transformative period when she got divorced. Landecker is charming as Lauren and is surrounded by other skilled actors. Her writing is honest and realistic with sharp dialogue, especially as the film examines themes of getting older, starting over, and tension between Gen X and Gen Z. It includes references to modern culture such as pronouns, a lesbian wedding, and trauma, but it doesn’t overdo them. Lauren even follows a video exercise posted by Sara which intends to activate the parasympathetic nervous system—a scene which could’ve been a disaster, but was a nice touch that led to an effective moment of comedy. There’s also the refreshing inclusion of various age-related topics such as peeing yourself after laughing, which is commonly experienced by women following childbirth, yet is seldom referenced let alone portrayed in films.
Something that really stood out for me is the brief but intimate connections Lauren makes with people just by putting herself out there. They each contain a level of awkwardness that is often present in new interactions, which feels genuine, especially as they each find their way. This is demonstrated when Lauren speaks with Justine’s gay brother Todd (Spencer Stevenson), who uses a lot of typically queer lingo such as “cunt” and “bitch” in everyday conversation, and also when she’s hit on by magician Rick (Ken Marino), who turns out to be a creep in a bizarre scene that I wish felt more effective. Maybe it just needs a slight rewrite. Either way, For Worse showcases a whole host of characters in the acting class and in Maria’s wedding party, despite most of them not getting much screen time.
As a wedding romcom, For Worse contains the usual suspects: dancing, hook ups, secondhand embarrassment, and a cake to the face. There’s humour, though nothing to make you laugh-out-loud, and a particularly moving speech from Dave, which all play against a soundtrack that unites different generations with the likes of “Push It” by Salt-N-Peppa and “Serene Downtown” by Illusion Hills. But it’s also different to most romcoms in that the protagonist is usually introduced to their love interest early on and they get a lot of screen time together. In For Worse, Dave shows up as an afterthought that makes you think, will he be relevant to the plot? This works exceptionally well because they slowly come together in a way that feels more natural and realistic. They form a genuine attraction to one another while Lauren is somewhat embarrassing herself at his daughter’s wedding. It also helps that Landecker and Whitford have real chemistry, helped largely by the fact they are married in real life.
For Worse grows a little boring at times as the pace drags in the middle, but it always seems to pick back up and re-engage you in its story. The film’s marketing, however, is somewhat questionable. While Lauren does show up to a wedding with a younger date and behaves like a drunk 25-year-old bridesmaid, she doesn’t do anything that wild bar one outburst that Lauren laughs at and brushes off. The film doesn’t even show the way this affected the actual wedding party. It’s treated as unimportant—perhaps because it is. This is something else the film does differently to standard wedding romcoms. This isn’t like Kristen Wiig’s Annie in Bridesmaids, it’s actually rather grounded, though still includes various set-ups for both laughter and thoughtful commentary. For Worse is a reflective, honest, and heartfelt film about ageing and starting over that will hit a funny and relatable chord with a middle-aged audience.
For Worse is available on VOD/Digital from 3rd April 2026.
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