You’re Dating a Narcissist! screened at the 2025 Austin Film Festival, and while it’s not the kind of film that reinvents the romantic comedy, it’s an undeniably fun and lively ride. The setup is straightforward: an outspoken psychologist, played by Marisa Tomei, races to Los Angeles with her best friend (the always energetic Sherry Cola) to stop her daughter’s upcoming wedding. Her fear? That the charming groom (Marco Pigossi) is secretly a narcissist—and that her daughter (Ciara Bravo) is too smitten to notice it.
From the first few minutes, it’s clear where the story is headed. The film doesn’t hide its predictability, but that adds to its charm. It’s glossy, fast-paced, and self-aware, leaning into its comedic moments with a wink rather than trying to be something more serious. The humor works best when it plays off the exaggerated yet recognizable ways people project their past traumas onto others—especially those they love.
Tomei carries the movie with her trademark charisma, even when her character teeters on the edge of overbearing to the point of distraction. She plays Dr. Maggie Levin, a psychologist still healing from her own disastrous relationship with a narcissist. Convinced that her degree and hard-won experience give her a kind of sixth sense for spotting emotional manipulators, she’s both admirable and exasperating. Tomei captures that contradiction perfectly—she’s funny, sharp, and just realistically annoying enough to feel genuine. There’s a kind of painful truth beneath her antics: how we can confuse knowledge with control, or wisdom with certainty.
Cola acts as the perfect foil as the loyal yet tired best friend, grounding Maggie’s chaos with warmth and impeccable comedic timing. She adds her own humor, all the while providing the balance—though not always successfully—that Maggie needs. Bravo, as the lovestruck daughter, balances naivety and sincerity, while Pigossi manages to be both charming and suspicious enough to keep us guessing—if only a little.
You’re Dating a Narcissist! isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s witty, fun, and relatable in its own overtly exaggerated way. Ann Marie Allison’s direction keeps the tone light even as it touches on real emotional truths about love, fear, and control. I laughed some, rolled my eyes often, and left the theater smiling—sometimes predictability is exactly what’s needed at that moment.