‘Future Date’ Is the Meet Cute of Tomorrow!

These things can't be forced. Or can they?

May 07, 2025

Dear Moviegoers,

I’ve been reviewing independent films since 2011, and have seen many movies promising “cuteness” in one form or another. Cuteness, as we all know, is a spectrum of feelings, ranging from something resonant to something annoying. And, too often, I’ve been “annoyed.”

That being stated, I like to think that I’m very easy to please. In other words, being cute can be “just enough” to push me over the moon - so to speak. However, a cute flick can’t ride on that sweetness through to its end alone. There has to be chemistry, there has to be character, and there must be creativity.

In my happy view, actor Stanley Wong’s directorial debut Future Date is an awfully cute and absolutely cheery dystopically satirical romantic comedy of lovely proportions.

If you’re familiar with The Big Short, you’ll likely remember Stanley as Ryan Gosling’s math guy, who speaks to the camera for a few seconds to correct his boss’s insensitive ignorance. I’m familiar with Stanley from a film made over a decade ago, here in Hollywood South, called Steve Chong Finds Out That Suicide Is a Bad Idea. In that now hard-to-find movie, Stanley showed signs of perfectly awkward pathos and incredibly charming genuineness that most films miss (unless you’re a Woody Allen joint).

His Future Date, his whole responsibility this time around, is a true independent feat and an honest humanist treat. Here, Stanley plays Ry, a hopeless romantic searching for “the one.” Teamed with actress Shuang Hu as Ria, a young woman who just wants more space to live in, Stanley crafts a too-clear vision of Los Angeles (and perhaps the ultimate conclusion to our world) as a hellscape straight from the Detroit of RoboCop, only environmentally worse. While this vision may be set in a far-off future, I caught on early to the obvious message of a present-day L.A. being one that sucks to live in.

Cramped apartments, virtual greetings, shipped-in food, and apps galore are what young professionals already have to look forward to, and Future Date turns it up a notch. This is where the cuteness comes into play, and it’s both affecting and effective.

Entering a contest from the relationship app CNKTR, Ry and Ria log on to win a matchup that promises 1) real bonding and 2) a real house. From there, it’s nothing but these two and occasional intrusions from a holographic Johnny Pemberton that make up the bulk of the film. But trust me when I say that this is the bread and butter of Future Date. Two people trying to make sense of in-person sensations that everyone takes for granted now and swiping away the digital ads that everyone can relate to now.

Their clothes may be plain grey, their small windows may show a horrible landscape of death and destruction, and their virtual “friends” may be bought and paid for like a monthly subscription, but Ry, Ria, and humanity at large still need and deserve more than the facade of safety and security. Future Date entertains with the uncomfortable first-time touch between two people and excites with the request to head into the unknown and experience everything that comes with open uncertainty. Together, of course.

Such drama can heighten such comedy, making for one moving picture. Indeed, Future Date is a fine example of how one element elevates another, and another, and another. Drawing from natural personalities and dreams of better angels, the film is more cute than “cute.” It’s simply lovely and lovingly simple.

What more does one need? 5/5

Future Date is now available for rent or purchase. It can also be streamed on Tubi.