Annie Murphy has cracked the rom-com code. The former "Schitt's Creek" star delivers a performance in "All That She Wants" that signals her full arrival as a leading woman in a genre that demands equal parts vulnerability and comic timing. Filmmakers Scarlett Bermingham and Andrew Rhymer, a real-life married couple, directed this warm comedy that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and their intimate knowledge of partnership translates directly onto the screen.
Murphy stars alongside Cooper Raiff, whose own romantic comedy credentials include writing and directing "Cha Cha Real Smooth." The two generate immediate chemistry that grounds the film's central conflict: a story about generational disconnect wrapped inside the familiar package of a rom-com. The script doesn't condescend to either generation. Instead, it finds humor and heart in how two people from different eras navigate desire, ambition, and the terrifying vulnerability of wanting something badly enough to risk failure.
What makes Bermingham and Rhymer's approach stand out is their refusal to flatten their characters into types. Murphy's character faces genuine hard choices, not the recycled obstacles that plagued rom-coms of previous decades. The film treats her professional and personal aspirations with equal weight. Raiff's performance holds its own, creating a dynamic where neither character sacrifices authenticity for plot convenience.
The film works because it acknowledges that love stories exist within the context of real life. Jobs matter. Money matters. The gap between what you want and what you can afford matters. These aren't obstacles to overcome through romantic gestures alone. They're problems that require conversation, compromise, and sometimes painful honesty about whether two people actually want the same things.
Murphy's work in "Schitt's Creek" demonstrated her range across comedy and drama, but "All That She Wants" positions her differently. She leads. She carries the emotional weight. She makes the decisions that propel the story forward rather than react to someone else's arc. That distinction matters for how Hollywood continues to invest in female-led projects.
The rom-com genre has experienced a revival in recent years, particularly through streaming platforms that have loosened the theatrical release stranglehold. Films like "Set It Up," "Holidate," and "Love Hard" proved audiences still crave these stories. Yet the best entries in the current wave tend to be those that update the formula. "All That She Wants" joins that trend by taking the genre seriously enough to let real stakes inform the romance.
Bermingham and Rhymer's background as a creative partnership likely shaped their ability to depict intimacy with nuance. There's no manufactured drama here. The complications arise naturally from character, circumstance, and timing. For a genre often dismissed as frivolous, that kind of authenticity feels radical.
Murphy's rom-com lead status now feels inevitable. She has the charisma, the comic instincts, and the dramatic credibility to anchor stories where love is complicated, choices matter, and happily-ever-after requires actual work.