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Smile... The Worst Is Yet to Come

Play trailer Poster for Smile... The Worst Is Yet to Come 2026 1h 24m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 7 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
SMILE... the Worst is Yet to Come follows Ben and Birdie, elder millennials whose marriage buckles under failed IVF and stalled ambitions. Their attempt to reconnect at a romantic getaway in Big Bear is derailed when Gen-Z influencers, January and Jerek, crash their cabin, sparking a raw night of storytelling. Secrets surface, façades shatter, and the couple must confront uncomfortable truths about love, time, and what really matters.

Critics Reviews

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Louisa Moore Screen Zealots 8h
An emotionally honest generational drama that finds empathy in the clash between competing ideas of success, happiness, and fulfillment. Go to Full Review M.N. Miller FandomWire 1d
8/10
"Smile… The Worst Is Yet to Come" is thoughtful and funny, raw and refreshingly honest, making Chloe Lenihan and Joseph Mancuso filmmakers to watch. Go to Full Review Joshua Ryan The Cosmic Circus 5d
7/10
Anchored by the believable relationship between Mancuso and Masucci, it’s a funny, heartfelt examination of learning to accept the life you have while still mourning the one you imagined. Go to Full Review Charles Hartford But Why Tho? 5d
8/10
SMILE… The Worst Is Yet To Come delivers a nuanced exploration of lifelong love and the struggles that can come from maintaining it. Go to Full Review Denise Zubizarreta LatinaMedia.Co Jul 16
B+
It isn’t trying to hand audiences neat answers about marriage, purpose, or happiness. Instead, it asks better questions. When did you stop creating? When did survival quietly replace living? Go to Full Review Kent Hill Film Threat Jan 27
9/10
The impeccable swallow dive Lenihan pulls off with Smile…The Worst is Yet to Come is magical. Few pictures these days have you walking away from the screen with a smile on your face, and indeed, hope in your heart. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Chloe Lenihan

Director

Elizabeth Masucci

Birdie

Joseph Mancuso

Ben

Krystina Alabado

January

Ethan Jones Romero

Jerek

Joe Pacheco

Big Ben
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Smile... The Worst Is Yet to Come

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Movie Info

Synopsis SMILE... the Worst is Yet to Come follows Ben and Birdie, elder millennials whose marriage buckles under failed IVF and stalled ambitions. Their attempt to reconnect at a romantic getaway in Big Bear is derailed when Gen-Z influencers, January and Jerek, crash their cabin, sparking a raw night of storytelling. Secrets surface, façades shatter, and the couple must confront uncomfortable truths about love, time, and what really matters.
Director
Chloe Lenihan
Producer
Elizabeth Masucci, Joseph Mancuso, Chloe Lenihan, Andy Fortenbacher
Screenwriter
Joseph Mancuso, Chloe Lenihan
Production Co
Ben and Birdie
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 24m
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