Carter Ward’s movie Step Back, Doors Closing is a throwback to the great romantic comedies of the 1980s and early 1990s. It’s a film that’s cute but not cloyingly cute, endearingly corny in all the right places, and gets the viewer almost where they want to go. This is a rom-com without any frills or fanfare and the audience is better for it.
There’s a Sliding Doors quality to Step Back, Doors Closing and not because they share a word in the title. There’s that same charm that comes with watching coincidence unfold for the better—the entire opening of the movie shows how protagonists Ryan and Julisa almost run into each other in the Washington, D.C. airport well before they actually meet on a Metro train. And like John Hannah and Gwyneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors, stars Reilly Walters and Carmen Berkeley have that same understated appeal where their characters click together, but they’re not playing into it.
Like most romantic comedies, the movie relies heavily on the chemistry between its two leads. Berkeley and Reilly work well together—from an acting standpoint, they feel like a team. It’s obvious that they’re actively engaged not only in their own performances, but what the other person is doing. Yet just as importantly, the two actors also succeed individually. Their characters are endearing on their own, not just because the audience cares about their love story. Berkeley doesn’t lean too hard into Julisa’s sassiness, while Reilly gets some moments of great vulnerability after Ryan reveals that he just broke up with his longtime girlfriend. The major weakness in Ward’s script is that there’s actually too much banter—it undercuts a few scenes that could stand to be more serious—but both actors also never feel like they’re selling a joke. Their rhythm is organic, even if it results in a few lines being delivered awkwardly.
Ward deserves credit for going against the grain of romantic comedies. Step Back, Doors Closing is a “one crazy night” film, following Julisa and Ryan over a roughly 24-hour period. Another valid comparison would be to the recent Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner rom-com One Night Only. Both take place in similar timeframes and both have more character development than first expected. But whereas One Night Only had a larger than life quality, Step Back, Doors Closing goes in the opposite direction. Ryan and Julisa don’t bounce from one mishap to the next. Their biggest problem is breaking her friend’s kitchenware. Instead, Ward is confident enough in his characters to simply play out a series of conversations, and to live in a couple of quiet moments. There’s a scene at a fountain that is not only wonderfully acted, but also beautifully shot, and the audience gets to sit in that moment with the characters.
There are a couple of missteps along the way. The aforementioned banter is charming, but could be dialed back in several places; there’s at least one big moment that feels like it’s tempered by the need to circle back to a joke. Only two scenes miss the mark: Ward resists most of the cliches of the genre—except a scene where Ryan and Julisa start debating the existence of soulmates. That’s the only time when Step Back, Doors Closing feels like a regular romantic comedy. Viewers may also have differing opinions on the ending; it makes narrative sense and it’s satisfying in its way, but whether it’s satisfying enough will be a matter of preference.
Also, it doesn’t feel like Washington, D.C. is fully utilized in the film; there are plenty of references to various landmarks, but aside from one early scene and the final twenty minutes or so, visually it feels like the film could’ve taken place anywhere. That’s a missed opportunity, since Washington is a unique setting for a rom-com (or any movie that’s not a political or action thriller).
On the whole, though, Step Back, Doors Closing is refreshing because it focuses so wholeheartedly on Ryan and Julisa. There are few supporting characters, and Ward doesn’t feel the need to keep playing for the viewer’s attention by coming up with the next plot twist. This movie is disarming in its simplicity: the audience gets to zero in on Julisa and Ryan, and on the winning performances by Carmen Berkeley and Reilly Walters. There’s no extra noise and there are no cringe-worthy “meet-cute” moments that make the proceedings feel inauthentic. When viewers get to the credits, they’ll feel glad Ryan and Julisa met each other, too. And they should start campaigning for a sequel.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the filmmakers.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
