REVIEW: “You’re Dating a Narcissist!” (2026)

by

“You’re Dating a Narcissist!” promises a clever and honest take on romantic comedies, but unfortunately, it doesn’t deliver. The film quickly becomes predictable and annoying, failing to connect with the audience. While director Ann Marie Allison aims to explore modern relationships and boasts a talented lead in Marisa Tomei, these strengths are overshadowed by forced jokes and a surplus of underdeveloped characters who feel unnecessary.

Perhaps even more frustrating is the confusing arc of the main character, Judy. Though played brilliantly by Marisa Tomei, Judy starts as a smart, confident, and successful woman – maybe a little too confident. She’s a published author, a psychologist, and a professor at a well-known New York university. However, as the story progresses, the script inexplicably transforms her into an erratic and obsessive character, often for comedic effect that feels forced and doesn’t quite land.

Judy’s book, “You’re Dating a Narcissist!”, is doing well, and she’s now teaching a class to help people identify narcissistic traits in potential partners. However, all this focus on narcissism has made her very distrustful of relationships in general. That’s why she’s surprised when she receives a call from her 22-year-old daughter, Eva (Ciara Bravo), who has some exciting news to share.

Eva, an art student in Los Angeles, quickly falls for a charming doctor named Theo. After just six weeks, they get engaged! But when Eva tells her mother, Judy, the news, Judy panics and rushes across the country, determined to protect her daughter. She also brings along her close friend Diane, seemingly because every story like this needs a funny friend for comic relief.

When Judy arrives in Los Angeles, her personality seems to completely change, and she becomes increasingly erratic. The movie attempts to explain this behavior by hinting at a difficult past, hoping we’ll feel sorry for her. However, Judy becomes harder and harder to sympathize with as the story progresses. Furthermore, the supporting characters, aside from Eva, are underdeveloped and serve only to move Judy’s story forward – they don’t feel like fully realized people.

“You’re Dating a Narcissist!” starts strong with an interesting premise, but quickly becomes disappointing, like getting hooked on a TV show that isn’t very good. It’s especially frustrating because the talented Marisa Tomei is wasted in the role – she’s a fantastic actress who deserves better material. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t live up to her abilities, and she ends up doing a lot of work for a weak plot.

Read More

2026-03-30 17:57