How Jordan Weiss’ ‘Sweethearts’ Delivers a Twist on the Classic Friends-to-Lovers Trope

SPOILER WARNING: This story includes major plot details for the comedy “Sweethearts,” currently streaming on Max.

The trick to Jordan Weiss’ new comedy ‘Sweethearts’ lies in the unexpected. The filmmaker has seen the YouTube comments about the trailer and says audiences are in for a surprise because the end is anything but predictable.  

Her directorial debut follows two freshmen childhood friends, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) and Ben (Nico Hiraga), who decide to break up with their high school partners simultaneously. The chemistry between Shipka and Hiraga’s characters is so undeniable that it begs the question: Is this a friends-to-lovers story? 

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Speaking with Variety, Weiss says, “I love the debate that movie [‘When Harry Met Sally’] explores: Can men and women be friends? Because I’ve always been a girl with a lot of guy friends. I created ‘Doll Face,’ which was literally about a girl, like, having lost touch with her girlfriends and trying to get back, and how she was more uncomfortable in that world.”

The answer to the age-old question — in “Sweethearts,” at least — is yes, platonic friendships are possible. “I co-wrote it with my real-life best friend, Dan Brier. So I always joke that Dan and I should be the real spoiler for the movie because we are happily married to other people!” Their goal with this film was “to give a new perspective to that debate,” according to Weiss.

The onscreen versions of Weiss and Breyer, Shipka and Hiraga, “hit it off immediately,” as put by Hiraga himself. Weiss adds that the two stars’ chemistry read left them all speechless. “Even when they weren’t reading the scenes, just the way they were making each other laugh,” Weiss recalls. “It felt like there was so much history there.”  

For those wondering why Jamie and Ben did not end up together despite their obvious chemistry, Weiss explains this was the intent from the beginning: “We wanted to write a coming-of-age movie with a really happy ending. And I think that this is the happiest ending I could imagine for two college freshmen. Ending in a place where they are going to have the runway to find themselves, explore, date lots of people, have lots of heartbreak, go on adventures and have their really nourishing relationships be their friendships.” 

Another significant unexpected aspect of this film that elevates it further is the third parallel storyline that takes much of the comedic spotlight. Palmer (Caleb Hearon) is the third-wheel friend who finds himself in a heartfelt queer coming-of-age plot that takes center stage next to the other characters’ will-they-won’t-they situation. The purpose was to have an ode to “Superbad” in which two of the protagonists are hit by constant obstacles while the odd-one-out proceeds to have the most fantastic time ever. Think McLovin’ and the two cops while Michael Cera and Jonah Hill can’t catch a break, but “well… gay,” as Hearon puts it.

The idea behind the three characters visiting their small towns once gone for college came from Weiss and Brier’s personal experiences. They somewhat based the strictly platonic friends’ story on themselves and Palmer’s on Brier’s younger brother. “When we thought about who’s the most interesting character to see in that story, we were really inspired by Dan’s younger brother, who is gay,” says Weiss.