That Awkward Moment
Its February, so of course were going to get movies like That Awkward Moment, About Last Night, Winters Tale, and Endless Love. Are any of these worth seeing? The trailers for all four made me cringe, but I was the most hopeful about That Awkward Moment if only for its very appealing cast.
That Awkward Moment is a bromatic comedy about two confirmed bachelors (Zac Efron and Miles Teller) who agree to stay single to prove their solidarity to their married friend (Michael B. Jordan) whose wife is leaving him. Of course, because this is a rom-com, the moment you make such a pact, the right girl comes along.
This is a very tame R-rated picture. All the profanity and sexual content is reserved for a scene in a stag shop where, ah, cover your eyes, we see dildos. This is followed by an Oh, I thought you said this was a costume party running gag that first-time sitcom screenwriters would dismiss as too hackneyed.
I couldnt wait for this movie to be over; even with a runtime of 94 minutes, the picture felt like it was 240 minutes long. The outtakes at the end (featuring scenes of actors fumbling their lines or unable to hold in their laughter) served as an act of desperation; its as if the filmmakers are saying Were not sure if we made you laugh during the movie, but, hey, well have you laughing on the way out of it. But, you probably wont be laughing at that either, which brings us to the realization that the material on the cutting room wasnt funny, and neither was the end product.
Dude, wheres the comedy? I feel as though the screenwriters had a checklist of topics and assigned a running gag to each one without any thought or creativity Hey, lets make a joke out of Miles Teller taking a dump in Zac Efrons apartment. Not just once. Not just twice. How about the guys taking Viagra and having to urinate horizontally? Ill admit I laughed a few times, but for the most part, the filmmakers attempt to walk the line between bromantic comedy and Animal House-like humor falls completely flat.
Almost every comic situation ends with a character telling someone else Youre an idiot, Youre an a-hole, Youre a f***ing idiot. This isnt just lazy writing; its not even a joke because its entirely true. The lengths to which these characters go to maintain this idiotic pact (which essentially functions as a device for such shenanigans to take place) is just cruel and nasty. Their vow doesnt bear enough weight to excuse these characters of some truly awful behavior.
The material is so shop worn. And what little precious insight it has to offer us lets see: men-are-like-this (say they dont want commitment but they really do) and women-are-like-this (shoes are more important than anything else in life). Offensive stereotypes aside, countless other films have explored this in a more fully realized way – When Harry Met Sally is a very good example of how such material has been handled well.
That Awkward Moment has a very charming cast, but theyre not given very much to do. And that is why the picture is a wasted opportunity. Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station last years Sundance Audience and Jury winner) and Miles Teller (last years Spectacular Now and whose movie Whiplash won both the Audience and Jury awards at this years Sundance Film Festival) have great acting careers ahead of them. That Awkward Moment will not be of the entries included within their distinguished filmography. Zac Efron does have potential but is struggling to find the right vehicle to propel him from High School Musical teen into a grown-up movie star. His previous attempt at this transition resulted in Nicole Kidman urinating on him in The Paperboy. At least this is a step up. Well, not really. QED.
