The Way Things Used 2 B: A Y2K Rom-Com Steeped in Nostalgia

Ciara Naughton and Kurstin Moser’s The Way Things Used 2 B is a rom-com set in the early 2000s in the classic 2000s form condensed into a brisk 17-minute runtime. The story, about Popular Girl and Loner Boy with a Heart of Gold, has melted away the ancillaries and packed only the essentials: a crisis, an unwelcome reunion, small reconciliations, and finally, a new beginning.

The markers of the era however, are on full blast, particularly as seen and shown by films of then. There’s the bedazzled personal diary, its loud entries, the fluffy pen to write them with; there’s the daily wardrobe scrutiny and contemptuous dissatisfaction; music band and film posters; CD players and mix tapes; and a snarky sister who doubles as guiding voice and mean girl.

The centre of all this, of course, is Jenny (Jackie Romankow), your dyed in the wool Valley Girl. A pretty, formerly popular, current college dropout with no prospects and a vague career plan, Jenny discovers a series of unpleasant circumstances at once. First, that she needs a job. Second, she has no qualifications (cue the cutesy pink resume, a la Elle Woods, brownie points for colourful penmanship and hand-drawn art). Third, the only job available to her is with Darren (Lee Keinan) from school. You half expect her to exclaim, voice dripping with shocked disdain at the ludicrousness and daring, As if!

Relishing in all this is her own sister Lizzie (Meredith Brown). Lizzie’s role is load bearing. She eliminates the need to have the parents appear on screen, she is the arch-rival, the barbed jester to sling insults and witticisms, and the one to call a spade a very obvious romance in progress.

Jenny and Darren make for a cute pair—Romankov and Keinan carry their characters with gusto—opposites attracting in a cloud of yearning, teasing, and developing camaraderie. Their friends to lovers arc matures, in rom-com fashion, over music (and next to, if not under, a boombox). Superficialities fall away, connections emerge, and love blossoms. Another pair of darling youth saved by Cupid.

The Way Things Used 2 B is a good bit of nostalgic fun for those who remember and an archaeological/anthropological study for those who came too late. Watch for the petty politics of high school, the y2k memorabilia, and the heartening, intact faith in happily ever after.

Watch The Way Things Used 2 B Short Film