After making a name for herself in the popular Prime Video series Transparent, along with a series of great performances on stage and screen, actress Amy Landecker has decided to make the jump to directing. While her debut, For Worse, is not particularly original, it has the comedic voice and authentic perspective it needs to be a mostly charming comedy nevertheless.
For Worse Review
For Worse follows a newly divorced and sober woman who goes to a wedding with a much younger date, only to discover that this digs up some of her buried resentments and causes her to behave irresponsibly. Although the script is pretty unoriginal and rarely gut-bustingly funny, it’s a perfect example of the “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to filmmaking.
The first third of the film is a bit frustrating, as Landecker’s protagonist is consistently pretty annoying. She spends most of the first third complaining about how her life isn’t going her way, and because of that, the movie nearly wears out its welcome before it even really starts moving. Ironically, she begins to become a much more relatable and approachable character when she starts to act childish.
Once the film reaches the heart of its actual conflict — the wedding — it becomes much more charming. It does become a little more conventional narratively, following the formula of the wedding rom-com subgenre pretty closely, but Landecker’s perspective is refreshing enough that it’s pretty buoyant and effective.
For Worse is at its best when it is exploring its mid-life crisis elements. Although we have seen mid-life crisis movies before, it’s still rare to see movies quite like this — that are led by a woman in her fifties. It’s refreshing to see Landecker be so unabashedly blunt and honest about her experience as a woman in this age range, and it goes a long way in making the movie feel more authentic and unique. It’s clear that the story is (at least in part) inspired by emotions and experiences that Landecker has had in her own life, and because of that, it manages to overcome the conventional nature of its story.
In many ways, For Worse is exactly the type of vanity project you fear it is. Landecker writes, directs, and stars in a film whose plot revolves around her getting to sleep with an attractive younger man. The movie feels like a missed opportunity for Landecker to offer meta commentary and turn the tables on this historically masculine trope. Instead, it feels largely as indulgent as those films — just with a female protagonist.
That being said, Amy Landecker is a strong enough lead that she carries the movie through these weaknesses. She is genuinely and effortlessly funny. For the most part, it doesn’t feel like Landecker is putting herself in humorous or humiliating situations for the sake of the laugh; she just has that naturally charming and funny energy that makes it easy to spend 90 minutes with her.
Landecker has also assembled a really strong supporting cast to fill out the ensemble. The hang-out style nature of the story allows it to overcome the feeling that the cast is probably mostly people doing a favor for her, as it makes it feel like everyone in the cast is genuinely having a good time. From Landecker’s husband Bradley Whitford to comedians Simon Helberg and Ken Marino or up-and-coming performers like Kiersey Clemons and Nico Haraga, everyone in this is super enjoyable to watch.
Is For Worse worth watching?
Ultimately, that is all Amy Landecker is asking audiences to do with her debut: enjoy themselves. Although For Worse had the opportunity to be something clever and self-referential, Landecker settles for something quaint yet fun. As far as 90-minute comedies go, you could do a lot worse than a well-meaning, authentic film from a perspective that we don’t often see highlighted like this.
For Worse premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 7-15 in Austin, TX.
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