Smile…The Worst is Yet to Come

DANCES WITH FILMS NEW YORK 2026 REVIEW! Co-writer/director Chloe Lenihan and screenwriter Joseph Mancuso’s Smile…The Worst is Yet to Come lands like a warm hug from someone you love. It is a satisfying James L. Brooks-esque dramedy about a couple on retreat, trying to revive the fire in a romance on the edge. The plot is as if a fairy tale fatally collided with reality.

Ben (Mancuso, giving off young Mel Gibson vibes) loves Birdie (Elizabeth Masucci). But the young man has reached somewhat of an impasse in his life and romance with the woman of his dreams. So, at the wise behest of his dad, Big Ben (Joe Pacheco), the couple flees the workaday Los Angeles for the old man’s cabin on the serene and tranquil shores of Big Bear Lake. And for a while, just like in every relationship, things are awkward but sexy. When in love, you see everything in a pleasant haze that makes those romantic moments seem ethereal. But reality is a kick in the balls, and thus, Ben and Birdie’s relationship receives, you might say, a swift and severe check.

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“[Ben’s] at a crossroads. A guy who had a host of hopes and dreams that didn’t really turn out the way he planned. He’s bitter. But Birdie’s also tired of having to be the strong one…”

The main couple attacks this opportunity at having time for themselves with verve. They are thinking that sex will make their woe all better. But sex is what you do if there’s nothing on TV, if you don’t “love” the person you’re with anymore. And Ben has been playing his part well for a long time. Playing things sweet and cool. He’s a man at a crossroads. A guy who had a host of hopes and dreams that didn’t really turn out the way he planned. He’s bitter. But Birdie’s also tired of having to be the strong one in the relationship. Yet, as fate would have it, Ben and Birdie meet Jerek (Ethan Jones Romero) and January (Krystina Alabado). Inviting this “new school” couple around for drinks, the “old school” couple holds court and is a source of great content and fascination for the next generation.

This is an old story, and you, dear Film Threat reader, I’m sure have seen great examples; Marriage Story comes to mind. But what’s different about Smile…The Worst is Yet to Come is the glorious way Lenihan conducts this brilliant, bitter-sweet symphony about what real love feels like. It’s all about unspoken words, and the times when all those unspoken words reach a point where they spill out. Then, you have love under analysis. Where Ben and Birdie see oversharing as obnoxious, Jerek and January’s out-there approach isn’t superficial. It’s all about expression. We each have a unique voice and the right to use it as we will. And it’s a soul-rippingly painful lesson when the universe teaches us this.

The impeccable swallow dive Lenihan pulls off with Smile…The Worst is Yet to Come is magical. Few pictures these days have you walking away from the screen with a smile on your face, and indeed, hope in your heart. For better or worse, if it’s love you’re in, then you’ll survive. If I were you, I’d be watching eagle-eyed for the next Chloe Lenihan movie. Bravo!

Smile…The Worst is Yet to Come screened at the 2026 Dances with Films New York.