Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | Film | December 29, 2025
Netflix’s The Best You Can dropped on the streamer on Christmas Day and pairs real-life Hollywood couple Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick in a mostly delightful but ultimately inconsequential romantic comedy, notable not just for the real-life pairing but because it centers on a middle-aged couple.
Written and directed by longtime, old-school sitcom writer Michael J. Weithorn (Family Ties, King of Queens, Ned & Stacey), Bacon stars as Stan, a private security guard. One night, he’s called to the home of Cynthia (Sedgwick) to deal with a break-in, which ultimately results in the film’s meet-cute. He has an enlarged prostate and needs to use her bathroom, and she happens to be a urologist.
The two hit it off, start texting, and sparks begin to fly. The catch is that Cynthia is married to a much older man, Warren (Judd Hirsch), once a powerful political and academic figure who is beginning to experience dementia. She still loves the man Warren once was, but for obvious reasons, their relationship is slipping just as she develops real chemistry with a man her own age. Stan, meanwhile, is also trying to repair his relationship with his musician daughter, from whom he was once estranged.
It’s a simple setup, and the beats, along with many of the jokes, feel like they were written by an old-school sitcom writer. There’s even a brief cameo from Ray Romano. It’s not an awards contender. It’s not going to burn down the Netflix Top 10. And it’s not going to be chopped up for easy digestion on TikTok. But it also doesn’t feel like it was written by and for an algorithm. The chemistry between Bacon and Sedgwick is obviously electric, and the film engages with some very real issues.
Mostly, though, it’s a good hangout movie and a pleasant diversion, especially for longtime fans of Bacon and Sedgwick, who take their adorable energy on Instagram and transplant it onto a loose Netflix plot with just enough jokes to keep things light. It’s not essential viewing, nor is it a waste of time. It’s a cozy hour and a half with familiar faces, which is kind of the Netflix sweet spot.
