Premiering this past week was “That Awkward Moment,” a film rife with hilarious one-liners, uncomfortable silences and realistic portrayals of the modern world of romance. The story follows three best friends, Jason (Zac Efron, “17 Again”), Mikey (Michael B. Jordan, “Fruitvale Station”) and Daniel (Miles Teller, “The Spectacular Now”) as they attempt to navigate the New York City landscape of sex, love and mistakes by making a pact that they will all stay single; this is a bet that proves more difficult to keep than expected.
First, there is Mikey, the dedicated husband to Vera (Jessica Lewis, “Cloverfield”), who he discovers has been cheating on him at the beginning of the film, prompting the bachelor pact. Jason is the typical playboy, who has a roster full of women that he exchanges and modifies if one of them deems it necessary to consider a relationship with him; yet a chance meeting with Ellie (Imogen Poots, “28 Days Later”) leads him to question his misogynistic ways in the pursuit of true love. Daniel also follows in the steps of Jason, using his good friend Chelsea (Mackenzie Davis, “Smashed”) to repeatedly wing-woman him into a different girl’s bed each night, until the two of them finally start falling for each other.
The three guys are true to the generation of mid-twenties men and women, as they flounder to understand the impact they truly have on those around them. Their choices lead to true hilarity, such as the time Jason goes to Ellie’s house for her “dress up” birthday party. He shows up in a themed costume worthy of a strip-club Halloween party, while the black tie-attired guests stare at him in horror. Another especially funny scene is Jason’s Facebook stalking, as he sits in a dark room, mumbling about who the other people in Ellie’s pictures are—a scene that will hit home for many viewers.
Though some of their jokes do fall a little flat, such as the subplot relationship between Miles, Jason and their boss, most of the audience will be laughing hysterically through the majority of the film. There are some starkly truthful scenes throughout though—such as the unexpected death of Ellie’s father. Such reality does draw the viewers away from the funny message the majority of the film sends, but the contrast allows a reality check—life can be funny and hilarious a lot of the time, but bad things do happen and people will rely on you for help, whether you want to be there for them or not.
Though the film will not be held in high acclaim for its music or cinematography, “That Awkward Moment” is a good first showing for Efron’s writing. For a young star that found his beginnings in “High School Musical,” it is exciting to see his talent grow and develop positively. The comedy is not as raunchy as that of “The Hangover” series, which could definitely be considered a good thing. The film does play it relatively safe, ensuring a happy ending for all despite the reality of what true life actually brings in the matters of love. It will definitely be interesting to see what else Efron creates in the future—hopefully it will be another comedy with Jordan and Teller, because the chemistry and camaraderie within the trio is electrifying.
“That Awkward Moment” is a film that does not try to be anything more than it is: an identifiable comedy about boys learning to become men. If viewers are up for a film of side-splitting laughter, “That Awkward Moment” will easily provide a quick escape from the stress of midterms.
