Anything’s Possible Review – Awkward But Sweet

With an ambitious sounding title, Billy Porter marks his directorial debut with the 2022 movie ‘Anything’s Possible’. And while the movie isn’t as wild or dramatic as one might expect it to be, it’s got all the right ingredients of a typical mainstream teen romance, the only unique addition being the trans protagonist.

Plot overview – Eva Reign, plays Kelsa, who runs a small YouTube channel talking about her life as a trans teenager and how romance is the last thing on her mind. However, when the cute Khal (Abubakr Ali) begins to develop a crush on Kelsa, things get challenging because her best-friend also likes him. So yes, we do have the same old ‘best friends falling out over the same guy’ conflict as one of the central themes.

Both Eva Reign and Abubakr Ali are playing romantic leads in a film for the first time, but they have a casual relaxed energy through the runtime and deliver measured performances. Reign felt a little too mature for a high-school senior and maybe a college setting would’ve worked better for the story. Since it’s a romantic drama, the plot doesn’t dwell too deeply on the challenges of being a trans teen. But Porter and team do touch upon upon some common issues and prejudice trans youth face, and how even a supportive family member can fail to see things from their point of view.

Visually, ‘Anything’s Possible’ has a colorful summer vibe, with a very pleasing color palette. Kelsa and Khal aren’t the ‘loud, crazy, party’ type of kids, so it was refreshing to see the two go to a conservatory/botanical garden for their first date. The lead couple is quite awkward in comparison to usual leads in romantic films, but given their unique personalities and situation, it works for the story. I quite loved Kelsa’s loud and bold clothing choices and how she doesn’t try to be invisible in school just because she is trans.

For large parts, you know the makers are trying their best to be ‘cool’, but the script remains quite generic and could’ve used more imagination. Regardless, it’s an evenly paced film which made for an entertaining watch.

It’s a 6.5/10 from me. You can stream it on Amazon Prime Video.