The Way Things Used 2 B takes us back to the early 2000s with a nostalgic short about missed chances, high school crushes, and unexpected second chances. Familiar in tone and story, it still manages to deliver charm and sincerity across a breezy 16 minutes.
Jenny, played by Jackie Romankow, is a young woman still living in a world where everything has come easily. Spoiled and slightly oblivious, she is forced to find work after overspending on yet another shopping spree. That search leads her to a lakeside restaurant where she runs into Darren, played by Lee Keinan, an old high school classmate and the person in charge of hiring. Jenny barely remembers him. He remembers everything.
Darren offers her a job despite her slightly frosty first impression. Over the course of a shift, the two slowly begin to open up. Jenny starts to understand that Darren once harboured a serious crush on her, even making a mix CD and mustering up the courage to ask her to prom. She, of course, went with someone else. But the detail Darren remembers, the emotion he carries, and the time they now spend together, begin to soften Jenny’s usual defences.
What follows is a short but well-constructed walk down memory lane. There are flashbacks to prom night, gentle romantic tension, and a believable shift in Jenny’s outlook. She starts to warm to Darren, and in doing so, begins to mature, even if only slightly. It is all done with a light touch, never overstaying its welcome, and offering a satisfying little arc in under 20 minutes.
Much of the strength here comes from the performances. Jackie Romankow carries the film well as Jenny. She leans into the Clueless-style materialistic persona without overplaying it, and she allows glimpses of vulnerability to seep through as the story unfolds. Lee Keinan, meanwhile, brings quiet sincerity to Darren. There’s something endearing about his ability to stay calm and composed, even as old wounds resurface. Together, the pair have just enough chemistry to sell the central emotional shift without forcing it.
The screenplay, written and directed by Kurstin Moser and Ciara Naughton, does not try to reinvent the romantic short. In fact, it fully leans into the tropes of the early 2000s rom-coms it clearly admires. From the setting to the tone to the use of music, it taps into a very specific time capsule of a genre. You might not be surprised by anything that happens, but that’s not really the point. The film is less about narrative innovation and more about comfort, nostalgia, and the idea that sometimes people really do change. And sometimes, the ones you overlooked become the ones worth noticing.
Visually, the film keeps things simple. The cinematography by Adam Coe is serviceable, leaning on natural light and soft tones, but it does not take many risks. Most of the scenes take place in only a couple of locations — Jenny’s home and the restaurant — with a few prom-night flashbacks helping to flesh out the emotional backstory. These choices help keep the production tight and manageable, but the lack of visual ambition occasionally makes the film feel like a student project, albeit a polished and thoughtful one.
What it lacks in cinematic flair, however, it makes up for in sound. The audio is clean, the dialogue is well recorded, and the mix is crisp, thanks to Mat Mruz’s work on sound design and mixing. A project like this often lives or dies on clarity and tone, and in that department, it is solid throughout.
There is a suggestion that Moser and Naughton may expand into longer-form storytelling in future, and that could be an exciting step. The Way Things Used 2 B shows an understanding of pacing and emotional payoff. It works well as a short, but the creative team clearly has more to say. A feature-length version in the style of 10 Things I Hate About You or a modern take on Mean Girls could be the natural next step.
As it stands, The Way Things Used 2 B is a sweet, simple, and effective romantic short. It may not be especially original, but it knows exactly what it is doing, and it does it with heart. Fans of old-school rom-coms will smile, and for 16 minutes, that might be more than enough.
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Thank you so much for the review!