'Thank You for Coming' Review: A Serviceable Romantic Comedy With Heart | TIFF 2023
Remember Cinderella? You know, the classic fairy tale about a prince trying to find the foot that matches the shoe of his love interest that has been remade over and over? Well, Karan Boolani’s Thank You for Coming is, thankfully, not that story, but it does put a more slightly raunchy twist on some of its elements. Specifically, it follows the 32-year-old Kanika Kapoor (Bhumi Pednekar) who is looking for something much more than a shoe. She is trying to discover the person who she believes may have just given her the first orgasm she’s ever had. She has been trying to find the love of her life for quite a while, which she refers to as frogs in one of many fairy tale references, but no partner has managed to fulfill her deepest desires.
That seems to have changed on the night of her engagement, which represents her finally settling for not finding what she was looking for, but the trouble is that she was too drunk to remember exactly who it was she was with. It could be her boring husband-to-be or any number of people she will then have to look into in order to get to the bottom of what it was that happened. The promise at the core of this sexual whodunit does get a bit buried under its set-up, with it taking nearly an hour before we really get into the thick of it, and the other many ideas it tries to address. Some narrative swerves towards the end further add to the sense of the film feeling rather busy. It has a lot on its mind that it wants to tackle, but that leaves much of the explorations it is undertaking feeling half-baked. This doesn’t drag things down too much, as it is mostly able to keep light on its feet, but it does make things a bit wobbly.
Bhumi Pednekar Is Brilliant in 'Thank You for Coming'
What ensures it never falls as it goes along is its central performance. Pednekar is just so good as she throws herself into every new situation, elevating each of them into something more. Even as the film itself can feel oddly chaste, with more conversations taking place about sex than there is much of happening, there is a boldness to the way she approaches each scene. Whether it is when her character has to sit through the most embarrassing wedding video you’ll ever see or each step she takes to piece together who it was that gave her the orgasm, Pednekar brings a real panache to each of them. Her performance captures all the relatable messiness Kanika is trying to navigate and the pressures she must also shoulder at the same time. Without her, the film would not nearly have the same charm.
it is hard enough to just be a person trying to find love, but then to also have to deal with the various expectations placed upon women both interpersonally as well as in society writ large? It is this pressure that Thank You for Coming immerses itself in order to tease out greater reflections on life, sex, and happiness. Are there still elements that feel rushed rather than patient and that we could have used more time to sit with? Most certainly, but there is still a heartfelt glue to it all that keeps it from falling apart. There is a version of the film that could have been a lot more kinetic in a way that would make the humor cut a bit deeper, but Pednekar ensures that even the more baggy aspects feel alive with her to carry them forward. By the time we then get answers to the search for the secret orgasm-giver, the fun to be had in the reveal is as playful as it is pointed. It provides the best reveal to the mystery possible.
'Thank You for Coming' Has an Appropriately Cheeky Conclusion
Without providing any indications about what ends up happening at the end of the search, the truth that is found there ensures everything goes out on a high note. Though some might have been able to piece together the reality based on some of the hints the film dropped along the way, that still doesn’t rob it of being the perfect way to end it all. Of all the various ideas the film was playing around with, it is this last one that hits the most resonant note of them all. It retroactively makes much of what preceded it that much funnier as the answer was staring Kanika in the face all along. There is something also genuinely heartfelt about its closing reflections and the way the character has come into her own, making it hard to begrudge it too much for wanting to spend time seeing her finally take center stage with all that entails.
After a life full of uncertainty, the closing catharsis of Thank You for Coming offers Kanika a fitting punchline as revealing as it is sweet. It is appropriately chaotic while also being emotionally sincere with a delightful performance by Pednekar to hold it together. When all is stripped away, it is about falling in love with yourself as much as it is anyone else.
Rating: B-
The Big Picture
- Thank You for Coming puts a raunchy twist on classic fairytale elements, following Kanika's search for the person who gave her the first orgasm she'd ever had.
- The film takes a while to get into the central plot and explores many different ideas, making it often feel busy and half-baked.
- Bhumi Pednekar's brilliant performance elevates the film, capturing the relatable messiness of Kanika's journey and the pressures she faces.
Thank You for Coming had its World Premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Thank You for Coming comes to theaters on October 6.
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