Written and Directed
By: Tom Gormican
Rated: R for sexual
content and language throughout
Release Date: January
31st, 2014
Review By: Sean
Kayden
Am
I surprised I didn’t really care for a ‘romcom’ starring Zac Efron? Not really.
Efron, Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordon are best buddies who make a pact to
stay single, but secretly fall in love with the girls they’re talking to in
“That Awkward Moment.” It’s one cliché after another in this mildly humorous
tale of young men not wanting to fall in love, but really they do all along.
This is supposed to be the opposite of a chick flick because it’s coming from
the male perspective. However, the film offers little to no insight on the male
mind. This formulaic relationship themed film doesn’t hold a candle to the
earlier films it desperately tries to emulate. The film has a few laughs,
mostly from up and coming actor Miles Teller, but that alone doesn’t save this
witless male driven romantic comedy.
Basically,
the movie is about these three best friends who want to hang out more once
Michael B. Jordan’s character’s wife files for divorce. Efron and Teller are
already trying to play the field or add to the “roster” as Efron comfortably
states in the movie. There’s nothing special or unique going on here. All the
characters are one-dimensional and there is literally no character development
on any of them. Efron falls for a girl but doesn’t want to admit to it. Teller
has his best girl friend helping him with random girls at the bar, but what do
you know? They actually like each other. Jordan is going through a divorce, but
his ex-wife starts to hook up with him again. It really doesn’t make much sense
if she wants a divorce. All three guys keep it secret from one another because
they said they wouldn’t get involved with any girls on a serious level. Of
course all is revealed, the guys have a mini tantrum and seemingly everything is
forgotten a few scenes later.
The only thing outside their
pursuit of getting laid is what they do for a living. Efron and Teller work at
company that design book covers and Jordan is a doctor. Even that seems forced
and not at all relevant. Efron produced this script as a starring vehicle for
himself. I guess he had the power to have someone want to invest in this, but
it offers nothing special for him as an actor. Light on laughs, insight, heart
and real romance, the film barely touches mediocrity. “That Awkward Moment”
feels like it’s in a dead zone during its second half. There’s little
significance to be found and much of the film just becomes tedious. A lot of
the scenes were filmed in the same locations over and over. No variety, no
surprises, all filler, no killer. It’s everything you’ve seen before in other
movies, but done extremely better in them. In the end, there’s little to
recommend. If this film is geared for women to finally see the male’s point of
view, no discoveries will be made. As for guys seeing this, there’s nothing
this film will tell you that you didn’t know already. Therefore, it’s a
stalemate for both sides.
Grade: 2 out of 5
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