In plenty of romantic comedies, we meet visibly muddled characters who don’t know how they feel. Then comes the overdone trope of the partners meeting each other’s parents. But what happens when the parents already know each other, and that too a little intimately? This bizarre scenario, bordering on (possible) incest, has been portrayed in the movie “Maybe I Do.” Encapsulating the confused feelings in the title, the film gives us an idea of what we can expect from the plot. Written and directed by Michael Jacobs, it follows the crucial point in the romance between Michelle (Emma Roberts) and Allen (Luke Bracey) as they ponder the big “I Do” question. The movie explores a variety of themes, from relationship troubles, marriage readiness, and the fear of growing old to infidelity, falling out of love, and the overall complications of every relationship.
“Maybe I Do” starts off like any other ensemble romantic comedy. It switches between three different stories happening at the same time. Eventually, their worlds collide, and we see how everyone is connected to everyone. The star-studded cast plays their roles to the best of their abilities, but we notice the plot and the chemistry between the actors dropping off in a few instances. Let’s dive deeper into the story and the eventual climax that tied loose ends together.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Maybe I Do’ Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
The movie starts with Grace and Sam meeting at a movie theater, where both of them are watching the movie by themselves. When they get to talking, they notice how alone they are. Bonding on this similarity, they continue to spend the night together and talk for hours on end. They are both married, yet loneliness seems to be their constant companion. Grace and Sam share anecdotes from their lives; they laugh and have a good time together. The second parallel story is that of Howard and Monica. They spend the night in a lavish hotel room away from the prying eyes of the city. While Monica is in the mood to seduce Howard, the latter’s mood is dampened by the gnawing thought of getting old and letting go of the best years of his life. He feels guilty about cheating on his wife and decides to leave. Upset by this action and feeling rejected, Monica threatens Howard that she will ruin his life but he ignores her threat in playfulness and leaves.
Finally, we are introduced to a young couple in the movie: Michelle and Allen. They are at a friend’s wedding and having a great time. When the time comes to swing the bouquet of flowers in the air for one of the bride’s single girlfriends to catch, everyone knows Michelle is the one who’s going to do it. Scared of the eventual consequence of his girlfriend catching the bouquet, Allen jumps above a table and catches the flowers first. Michelle is utterly humiliated and upset by this. This sets the tone for the rest of the movie; for now, we know where the confusion lies. The couple has a difficult time understanding where their relationship is going and if marriage is on the cards. We could relate to the troubles of the couple, as there can come a time when one person feels ready to take the next step in the relationship, but the other one needs some convincing and time to think.
After an argument, Michell and Allen go back to their respective parents’ houses to cool off and get some perspective. Here, we get to see the predictable plot twist: Michelle is Grace and Howard’s daughter, whereas Sam and Monica are the parents of Allen. In this twisted situation, we know the reality even though the characters are unaware of the tricky situation. As always, we expect the whole debacle to unravel in the climax of the movie when Michelle invites Allen and his parents over to her house for dinner.
‘Maybe I Do’ Ending Explained – What Happens To The Couples?
The palpable awkwardness and weirdness of the situation come to light as soon as Allen and his folks come to Michelle’s house. First, Howard and Monica come face-to-face where Howard thinks she is there to fulfill her threat and ruin his life. Things spiral out of control when he learns that she is Allen’s mother. The lies they told each other and the false backstory they’d made up for the affair fall through. On one hand, Howard tries to keep her silent and keep everything under control, but Monica seems to be in the mood to destroy everything and get away. Monica is manipulative and only focuses on her needs and desires without a second thought about the people around her.
Furthermore, the second Sam sees Grace, he runs away (literally). When he comes back, Grace is left out of sorts as she does not understand what to do. Even though the couple did not sleep together or cheat on their partners, they feel guilty because they lied to their partners all the same. What they don’t realize is that their partners are busy covering up their own web of lies and deceit. The humorous situation unfolds quite swiftly as they try to pivot the attention towards the couple of the hour, Allen and Michelle.
The young couple decides to talk through their issues and understand each other’s perspective. Their respective thoughts on marriage come from how they have seen their parents together over the years. Michelle has seen Grace and Howard being loving, caring, and respectful to each other. Even after years of being together, they still adore each other, or at least pretend to. They always taught their daughter the power of love and how it is worth fighting for. Michelle grew up with the belief that marriage is a beautiful union of two people who love each other and want to spend their lives together.
On the other hand, Allen saw his parents turn bitter and resentful over the years. Their personalities did not match, and their desire to stay together only dwindled with time. Sam and Monica stayed with each other only for Allen’s sake. They thought if they could make and raise someone as wonderful as their son, it might be worth hanging on to it for a while longer. This did not eradicate the awfulness of their relationship. They remained miserable together. Consequently, Allen’s faith in marriage never consolidated. He does not want Michelle and himself to end up like his parents or worse.
In hindsight, their worries and concerns were valid. What we see as kids and teens molds the way we think and what we become when we get older. Michelle and Allen had extremely opposite role models and examples of marriage in their lives. Nonetheless, they come to realize how marriage is different for different people. It is not necessary for them to end up like either of their parents. Michelle and Allen have a chance to make their own marriage story from scratch, where they get to decide what works for them and what doesn’t. However, the cheating lives of their parents were never revealed to the kids. We wonder if this could have changed the outcome of Michelle and Allen’s lives.
Do Sam And Monica Get Divorced?
At the end of the movie, Michelle and Allen get married in front of their families and friends. The beautiful ceremony features their common friends and their respective parents. After having a conversation about their fears and desires on the bizarre night with confessions, Grace and Howard seem to have worked on their issues as they appear more in love than before. They spark romance in their lives again and hope to live each day with youthful exuberance. Howard leaves behind the stress of growing old, whereas Grace stops being a boring old potato. This shows how communication and the willingness to work on a relationship can do wonders. Once a couple opens up to each other and navigates through their issues, they can improve their equation wonderfully.
Although Sam and Monica seemed on amicable terms with each other at the ceremony, we wonder if they actually worked on their issues or got separated. This is the only aspect that the filmmaker left for the viewers to figure out for themselves. Hopeless romantics might want them to end up together and have a beautiful life ahead. However, we side with the pragmatic realists who would see them going their separate ways. For one, they did not talk or sort out their problems on the night they got to know they cheated on each other. Sam and Monica left the topic hanging without coming to a conclusion. Moreover, they already seemed distant from one another. Apart from having very different personalities, their love for each other is also lost along the way. Getting divorced seems like a viable option for the couple. As long as they find happiness in their lives, it does not matter if they are together or not, because it is time they think about themselves.
