Look Both Ways - A Netflix Movie Review

You never know what life’s plan is. Either way, you’ll figure it out.

Look Both Ways aired on Netflix in 2022. On the night of her college graduation, Natalie takes a pregnancy test. In one reality, she is pregnant and remains home to raise her child. In the other, she travels to L.A. to pursue her dream job as an animator.

I put Look Both Ways on my list because it was getting hype about its feel-good message. Feel-good movies are my favorite. Look Both Ways is a unique take on showcasing the parallel realities of a young woman’s life. Nobody ever knows what is going to happen in life. Either way, live your best life.

Lili Reinhart is wonderful as Natalie, studying both lives. She is optimistic and willing to put life on hold to raise a family. I didn’t agree with some of her decisions, like when she was actually asking her boss how to find her voice. Natalie helps viewers understand that you can accomplish goals no matter the circumstance.

All the characters are so supportive in Look Both Ways. One character who I wish we had more focus on was Cara (Aisha Dee). The film focuses too much on Natalie’s love stories in both scenarios with Gabe (Danny Ramirez) and Jake (David Corenswet).

The film should have centered more around the friendship between Natalie and Cara than her love life. It would have put more depth into the whole story. Their friendship had a significant impact instead of Natalie figuring out her love life.

Playing Natalie’s parents, Andrea Savage and Luke Wilson are great. I have come around to Wilson more as an actor. Though, he tends to flip between playing a goofy or a serious dad. Either way, their supportive attitude is humbling.

It got confusing which scenario we were in. To define the alternate scenarios, Natalie’s hair is cut short for her motherhood storyline while keeping it long in her L.A. storyline. But that didn’t always work.

Later on in the film, suddenly Natalie cuts her hair in the L.A. scenes and eventually lets her hair grow out as a mom. Other than using lighting effects to differentiate the timelines, filmmakers should have decided on one hairstyle so it wouldn’t have distracted viewers.

I don’t know if anyone else will agree with me on this but what if one of the scenarios happened to Kara instead of just Natalie? I get that the writers were demonstrating what would happen to Natalie in these alternative realities. The film works great as it is but it gets confusing juggling two scenarios with one person.

One can interpret Look Both Ways with any theory. Wanuri Kahiv creatively delves into the story. She narrates a story in two distinct paths. Fans of animation will love the segments involving a career as an animator. I sure did!

One aspect that I really liked about this film was that it did not negatively rebuke the pregnancy angle like some films tend to do. Life happens. Plans never stay the same. Gradually, the lighting grows brighter as Natalie is raising her daughter. I liked that.

If you are struggling, the best advice you’ll get is that you will be okay. Always look at your alternatives. We need to look at all the alternatives in life, both positive and negative. Keep doing what you love and follow your dreams.

Look Both Ways is a heartfelt film. It’s an uplifting story that will make you think. Find the film on Netflix and enjoy.