Wild Honey is one of the most unique romcoms I’ve ever seen. The pitch is simple: it’s about a phone sex operator who falls for one of her clients. But it’s so much more than that. This is a film with real heart.

One thing I have to say upfront—Gabby, the main character, isn’t just a phone sex operator. What makes her so compelling is that she’s one of the most unlikely protagonists in a romcom, period. She’s 49 years old, living with her mom, fat, and drifting from one relationship to the next.

A lot of films with a lead like Gabby would focus on self-confidence, body positivity, or “finding yourself.” And while there are hints of that, Wild Honey is about something different. Gabby is a transgressive person—she’s a teenager in a middle-aged woman’s body. She acts on impulse, makes reckless choices, and is, in every way, trouble. And it’s so refreshing.

Rusty Schwimmer plays her perfectly. You look at Gabby and think, She fucked up. She made stupid choices. Of course, she ended up here. And the film doesn’t shy away from that. But then something surprising happens: character growth. And not the contrived kind that ties everything up neatly, but real evolution.

Since this is a romcom, you’d expect it to be about Gabby finding love—or is it? Because Wild Honey is ultimately about desire, passion, and following your heart, even when it’s messy.

What makes this film so special, why it speaks to me, is that it understands something a lot of movies don’t: as we grow older, move into middle age, and beyond, we don’t fundamentally change who we are. We grow, we evolve, but that core part of us—the thing that makes us us—never disappears.

I highly recommend Wild Honey. A fantastic movie. A great romcom.

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