When a movie takes a few years to open after it’s completed, and you haven’t heard much about it, it’s usually a sign it’s a bad movie. So, when I got the screener for Not Since You, an independent film that was completed in 2009, I hesitantly put it in my DVD player, sat back, and expected the worse.

Thankfully, Not Since You is far from being terrible and is actually quite a decent ensemble comedy-drama along the lines of St. Elmo’s Fire or The Big Chill. It’s no masterpiece, but it is fun, has some intriguing performances, and I enjoyed watching it all the way through (something of a rarity from a production of this calibre).

The film follows a group of friends from college who have reunited for the weekend to celebrate a wedding. They’ve all gone their own paths since graduation, yet some still have feelings locked away they didn’t realize until now. As the story unfolds we learn of past relationships ending badly, between both lovers and friends, as they now try to face them head-on to clear the air.

What makes Not Since You work so well is the cast. Desmond Harrington manages to make us forget his TV character on Dexter and believe he’s a lost soul who was left broken by his former lover, Amy (Kathleen Robertson). Robertson delivers a great performance as a woman who is now happily married, yet struggling with feelings for her past flame, and Jon Abrahams and Elden Henson bring some great comic elements to the picture. And although she only has a tiny role, Liane Balaban is a true standout.

Writer-director Jeff Stephenson is not breaking any new ground with Not Since You, but he does bring something to this tired genre and shows great promise. Give him the keys to the next Katherine Heigl romcom and I’m sure he’d actually make the audience like her again. He’s got the talent to go off in a totally different direction, too, and I could see him blowing us all away with a straight drama as his next feature. Either way, I’m interested to see what his next move is.

Not Since You might not connect with everyone, but it is a film you should give a chance to before writing off. Maybe not in the theatre, but when it comes out on DVD later this year, it’s definitely worth a watch.

*** out of 5 stars