Relationship Experts Navigate Love in Romantic Comedy ‘The Bounce Back’

Amanda Nolan

In the romantic comedy “The Bounce Back,” two relationship experts struggle to figure out their own love stories. Matthew Taylor (Shemar Moore) has a burgeoning career and washboard abs. But he doesn’t have is a lasting relationship. So far, that hasn’t slowed down the success of his new self-help book (also called “The Bounce Back”). The book encourages readers to leave behind the pain of bad breakups and provides advice on how to get back into the dating world. Making the rounds on the talk-show circuit with book in tow, Matthew’s exposure is picking up speed, much to the delight of his ambitious agent, Terry (Bill Bellamy).

Kristin Peralta (Nadine Velazquez) is not one of Matthew’s adoring followers. As a therapist, she scoffs at Matthew’s quick fixes. She can’t seem to get away from him, though, due to his constant television presence that leads her clients to drop her as they adopt the way of “The Bounce Back.”

Apparently, Kristin doesn’t get out much. Her gal pals (Megan Stevenson and Kali Hawk) drag her to a weekend getaway. To her chagrin, they have reserved spots in Matthew’s seminar at a hotel. Before Kristin knows what’s happening, she is at the microphone sparring with Matthew after he uses her as a case study. She calls out his lack of credibility, and he calls out her unsuccessful methods.

A television scout just happens to be in the audience, and loving the drama, she books them to appear on a talk show to debate their philosophies. Matthew is about moving forward while Kristin is about resolving the past. Their fiery and somewhat-flirty banter is a hit, and soon they are traveling all over the country as talk show guests. As they spend time together, sparks ignite between them. But can they get over their differences?

Written and directed by Youssef Delara with screenplay help from Victor Teran, “The Bounce Back” doesn’t offer too much in originality, cobbling together elements of “How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days” and a few dozen other romantic comedy films, as well as Shakespeare’s famous sparring partners Beatrice and Benedict from “Much Ado About Nothing.” But this movie does have its own charms. It keeps a playful tone from start to finish. Moore, also serving as an Executive Producer, got the film off the ground from crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. People who are in a “Hallmark Movie” mood will appreciate the cozy predictability.

While Kristin accuses Matthew of being a charlatan, he is not a slimy con man. He genuinely thinks his book will help people get over pain. He’s also a devoted dad to a 13-year-old daughter (Nadja Alaya in a cute performance) from a previous marriage. Kristin doesn’t get that much of a backstory, and only has a surface relationship with the girlfriends that doesn’t extend beyond shared Cosmos.

The movie has a diverse cast with gorgeous leads. With his perfume-ad looks, Moore makes sense as a character who attracts scores of female fans. The gorgeous Velazquez is harder to believe as an uptight and nerdy-awkward therapist. This is probably more of a styling problem, as they keep the character in glam dresses and hair for most of the movie. She looks more like a contestant for “The Bachelor” than someone who has had a romantic drought for six years. The two do their best Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez riffs, but can’t quite reach those levels of charisma. The comic delivery is so-so, but Bellamy is a laugh machine as Matthew’s slick agent. “The Bounce Back” might not break new ground in the genre, but it is a warm-hearted movie for those in the mood for rom-com comfort food.

“The Bounce Back” opens in select theaters Dec. 9.