The amount of distinguished romantic comedies when the man and woman don’t end up together can probably be counted on the digits of one hand. Over the years, many romantic comedy writers have attempted to challenge their own genre despite pages upon pages of ironic commentary and gentle mocking of familiar rom-com tropes.
Playing it Cool (formerly titled A Many Splintered Thing) stars Chris Evans (Avengers 2: Age of Ultron) as a screenwriter trying to write a romance movie, who is troubled by the fact that he doesn’t believe in love. That changes after Evans’ character meets a woman played by Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone). Although he discovers that she’s already attached to a handsome fiancé played by Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four), he can’t help but fall in love with her.
Aided by a circle of friends – played by Topher Grace (Interstellar), Aubrey Plaza (TV’s Parks & Recreation), and Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) – all with different perspectives on the subject of ‘love’, Evans’ character attempts to stay just friends with the woman, only to find himself wanting more.
Playing It Cool was directed by Justin Reardon from a script by first-time writers Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair. Although Vertical Entertainment is considering a release in the first quarter of 2015 release, they are still awaiting to determine the exact date. In the meantime check out the trailer, which centers on how “unrequited love motivates a guy to write about his experiences.”