Yet, instead of taking place in high school like the aforementioned examples,Sweetheartsis set in university.
More specifically, it follows the main characters on their first time coming back home after graduation.
This fresh spin on the genre was intentional, according to Weiss and her co-writerDan Brier.
Image by Jefferson Chacon
COLLIDER: Correct me if I’m wrong, but this film is somewhat inspired by your own friendship.
JORDAN WEISS: It was definitely the most fun I’ve ever had writing a movie.
DAN BRIER: Same.
Image via Warner Bros.
WEISS: You better [LAUGHS].
I think we just wanted to make a movie that felt like that trip did.
It felt sweet, it felt crazy, it felt off the rails.
Sometimes, we got into adventures we didn’t expect.
BRIER: It was confusing to other people.
WEISS: Everyone thought we were, like, running away together on a romantic getaway.
Image via Columbia Pictures
Both of our moms were texting us like, “Are you in relationships?
Why didn’t you tell us?”
I have to go back, and you have to know what my ex did to me.
Image via Random House
You have to know my ex before that.
Then we’re suddenly giving each other context on who was the first person that hurt you.
That was our experience on this psychological road trip.
Sweethearts is a comedy directed by Jordan Weiss, centering on two college freshmen who face the challenge of ending their high school relationships during a chaotic Thanksgiving Eve. The film explores themes of friendship and growing up as the characters navigate the pressure of breakups and newfound independence.
I wanted to hear from you, Jordan.
This is your feature directorial debut.
WEISS: I got to work way more directly with our cast.
I tried to create a culture on our set where improv was so welcome.
That was a really fun experience.
It was like going to film school to work with Drew.
It was really cool.
I mean, going to film school again.
I did technically go the first time.
‘Superbad’ Was One of the Buddy Comedies That Inspired ‘Sweethearts’
That is so sweet.
BRIER: Definitely!Superbadwas very top of mind as a true, lifelong favorite of ours.
I would love to hear from you.
Why did you decide to have this take place in college?
Even if you went to college two hours away, you come back with such a fresh perspective.
The people you knew, the places you went, everything can feel so transformed.
We really wanted to capture that experience, which feels so specific to being in college.
There’s a reason that so many movies are set in high school.
How am I going to re-brand myself?
Am I going to be a new person in college?
Am I going to try on new identities?
What was it like to put this work in front of everyone and to hear people react to it?
BRIER: It was unbelievable.
They were literally screaming, applauding the entire time.
Literally, what more could you ask?
It was such a vocal audience!
We couldn’t leave; it was so fun to be in the theater and hear everyone going crazy.
I love that so much.
WEISS: Thank you!
I’ve got to give you that.
WEISS: The ending was very intentional.
We knew the ending before we knew the rest of the story.
We’ll go back to college, and maybe you’re gonna still go to Copenhagen.
Jordan, I wanted to ask you something related to what you said before.
As a director, you gave the cast a little bit more leeway to improv.
WEISS: That’s a great question!
BRIER: The lead-up to them kissing was pretty dialed in.
That scene also of them in the tree house we were doing all in one take.
There are certain things that weren’t improvised, like a lot of the Danny Zuko oner.
I’m trying to think if there was anything else that we really stuck to.
But I don’t think there was anything that you were like, pause after that.
Help us help ourselves."
WEISS: What a cute question.
BRIER: I could talk for days!
I’m so grateful for Jordan’s courage and her vision and she truly can wish things into reality.
It’s a superpower, and that’s why I’m sitting here.
WEISS: I am so grateful for Dan, because he helps me be grounded and present.
He knows all my secrets.
He knows where all the bodies are buried, and I trust him with my life.
BRIER: Great question.
WEISS: I think that the longer we write together, the more we know each other.
That was a new sort of writing experiment that we hadn’t done.
Sometimes, working on those passages separately actually helped keep a little tension alive.
I feel like it really works to feel the two characters embodying a man and a woman’s perspective.
We’ve gotten faster.
I think we’ve gotten faster at it.
It’s way more efficient than being so precious about every line the second you write it.
Having gone throughSweethearts,there are so many steps between writing a script and getting a movie made.
So much is going to change, and you have to be malleable.
That’s always the advice that I give to young writers, for sure.
Sweetheartsarrives on streaming via Max on November 28.
