Sweethearts

The most generous assumption is that the script was watered down by too many studio notes, pushing for ever-broader scenarios and ever-denser characters.

Old-school rom-coms can feel mechanical in their remorseless drive to grind out their happily ever afters in spite of character or logic. Sweethearts, in contrast, is a gentle little film that has real heart

Bright, breezy and requiring little in the way of close attention, the teen rom-com “Sweethearts” is perfect for those who prefer their movies to be barely more than background noise.

Though it contains a talented ensemble and compelling sentiments about self-acceptance and platonic friendship, it plays like two half-baked screenplays mashed together, bound by wafer-thin connections.

Jordan Weiss's feature debut, "Sweethearts," has its charming moments but feels uneven overall.

What keeps “Sweethearts” enjoyable despite its dips into tedium are Shipka and Hiraga, who both have experience with this type of bawdy straight-to-streaming teen movie and prove more than capable of taking on leading roles themselves.

It's ok friends to lovers but not memorable

With humor, heart and more than a bit of teen-movie raunchiness, Sweethearts succeeds in capturing that time in life when you’ve started college but are still trying to hold on to what you loved about high school.

Weiss and co-writer Dan Brier’s script honors the rat-a-tat patter of Nora Ephron’s banter, and the leads have friendly chemistry, but it’s what’s going on around the couple’s story that makes this a hometown you’ll want to go back to for the holidays.

This return-to-high-school adventure rises slightly above others in the overstuffed canon of John Hughes knockoffs thanks to likeable leads (Shipka, Hiraga, and Hearon) and some quirky set-ups.