Runtime: 1 hours, 34 minutes
Rating: R
Director: Tom Gormican
Quick Impressions:
That awkward moment when you go to a movie not because you expect it to be good, but because you just don’t think you can bear to sit through Labor Day…
I love Kate Winslet. I like Josh Brolin. But the thought of spending two hours watching a film about an agoraphobic woman falling in love with the convict who abducts her the one time she goes out just doesn’t appeal to me. I mean, when I watch the preview, I get the idea that the movie is about a woman who is terrified to go anywhere. Then she meets a convict on the run who can’t go anywhere. They fall in love and spend the rest of their lives not going anywhere together. Call me crazy, but I worry that a movie like that wouldn’t go anywhere!
(In fact, since I’ve already owned up to crazy, I’ll go ahead and admit that I’m not crazy about watching that scenario unfold because it hits a little too close to home. (You could say it never leaves home!) It’s too much like my real life. I mean, I’m somewhat agoraphobic, and my husband is Josh Brolin. (I also have a tendency to lie when it’s convenient.) (Just kidding?) (Or am I?))
Anyway, neither “Josh Brolin” nor I could muster much enthusiasm for Labor Day, so we opted for the other film that opened last Friday, That Awkward Moment. We’ve already seen all the Oscar movies. We were in the mood for something lighter, something more fun, something playing at the theater where we already were (another strike against Labor Day).
But now I have a confession to make. As I was scrambling to figure out what new movies were out this weekend, I saw the poster for That Awkward Moment and thought in gleeful excitement, “Ooh! I want to see that!”
I love Michael B. Jordan. (I don’t keep up with current TV hits well, so he first caught my attention in Chronicle. And he gave such a strong lead performance in Fruitvale Station last year. In another, less cut-throat year, he would definitely have a Best Actor nomination right now. It’s really a shame Fruitvale Station got passed over entirely. That scene with Oscar and his mother in the kitchen—when she worries he’ll drive under the influence—is one of the most gut-wrenching cinematic moments I’ve ever seen. Tears welled up in my eyes, and this sensation of absolute horror hit me right in the pit of my stomach. That was a great film, especially when you consider that it was director Ryan Coogler’s first.)
The recent Fright Night remake made me a fan of Imogen Poots. I keep hearing great things about Miles Teller, and I’ve got nothing against Zac Efron.
Plus the premise of the That Awkward Moment intrigued me—a rom-com from the guy’s point of view, a comedy about the moment when you know the relationship is about to take an unfortunate turn. (Right away, I imagined that cat flying out the window in There’s Something About Mary. How unfortunate!) I thought, Great! Sounds like wacky good fun!
To be honest, I’m exhausted from all the heavy-hitting Oscar bait. I’m always game for a comedy. In fact—I should probably be ashamed to admit this—I will watch absolutely anything for any length of time if there’s even the remotest chance that at some point in the future it might become funny. I’m not sure I expressed that clearly. I don’t mean I just go outside and stare at my neighbors hoping a random banana cream pie will whiz by and hit them in the face. What I mean is, say we take a chance on a random stand-up routine on Netflix. Forty-five minutes pass, and I don’t laugh once. Do I turn it off? Never! Not even if it’s only fifty minutes long! Instead I sit there like an idiot on the edge of my seat, eternally optimistic, perhaps slightly desperate, hoping against hope that it might suddenly and inexplicably get funny. I’m always ready to laugh.
Also I’m incredibly interested in the point of view of twenty-something men because I’m a thirty-something woman. It’s always fun to watch a movie about people who aren’t you but are each other. It’s so interesting. You learn so much. Plus right now I’m focused on revising an adolescent male character in a novel, so I want to soak up as much of the adolescent/new adult male point of view as possible. And I love seeing exciting young actors building their filmographies.
I guess what I’m saying is, after I learned there were no other appealing choices, I did want to see That Awkward Moment even though I didn’t expect it to be very good.
I was pleasantly surprised, though. The movie was much better than I feared and even marginally better than I expected.
Is it a great movie? No. Is it a bad movie? No, it’s not that either. The screenplay is not exactly great. It’s zany where it should be more conventional, and safe where it ought to push limits. After watching it, I’m not completely convinced that writer/director Tom Gormican has a very solid understanding of human behavior. The banter/relationships the characters share is fantastic. The situations they get themselves into, however, don’t always make much sense.
Still the screenplay does have its better moments, and the cast is always engaging and delightful. All of the stars are far, far better than the material they’re given. With a less engaging cast, the movie might not hold anyone’s attention, but these actors are all such a pleasure to watch that they elevate the material and make the film consistently fun and engaging.
Even though it’s male-oriented, this is more of a relationship drama than an off-the-wall comedy, and that did surprise me a little. The laughs are far from non-stop, but there are some big ones. And I had a huge smile on my face for most of the movie (except during the sad parts).
Honestly That Awkward Moment reminds me a lot of the Brat Pack movies back in the 80s. I think it’s trying to be like that, actually. It wants to be a defining cult classic of its generation. I’m not sure how actual twenty-somethings will respond, but this thirty-something thinks it’s surprisingly good. It has some glaring flaws, but if I randomly flipped to it in progress on TV, I could easily get sucked into watching it again. It’s not a bad movie, but it seems already to have acquired a bad reputation that makes it seem worse than it is. It also might find more love on the small screen. We’ll have to wait and see.
The Good:
Zac Efron, Miles Teller, and Michael B. Jordan are highly convincing and likable as the central group of friends in the story. Their group dynamic is particularly engaging, and each of them reminded me so much of someone I know in real life. These characters are funny, sweet, and incredibly real. It’s a pleasure to spend time with them, to eavesdrop on their conversations, to catch a few scenes from their lives.
In terms of acting, all three give excellent performances. From my point of view, both Jordan and Teller are better actors than Efron, but I will acknowledge that his “dreamy” teen idol countenance may be blinding me to the full extent of Efron’s dramatic talents. It’s so hard to believe him as an adult. (And yet he was born in 1987, making him just eight years younger than I am. That’s very, very hard to believe. He’s got such a baby face. You watch and think, I didn’t know Peter Pan lives in New York.) On the other hand, Efron reminded me almost exactly of someone I know personally, and that person is an adult. Most people are eventually, I guess.
Though less featured, Imogen Poots and (especially) Mackenzie Davis are very good, too. As Vera, Jessica Lucas barely gets to be in the movie, but she’s good when she’s there. And Josh Pais really makes the most of Fred.
All of the best moments in the movie seem to come from the charisma and chemistry of the actors. They are all so much better than the script—although the script is not horrible.
I went into the movie expecting it to be funny but dumb. (I was hoping it might have the slightly juvenile charm of Brooklyn Nine-Nine which my husband, stepson, and I enjoy watching together. That show does have some sophisticated elements, but most of its humor is pretty sophomoric. Still it’s funny and sweet.)
That Awkward Moment surprised me, though, by having more sophisticated wit than I initially expected. (That Morris Chestnut stuff was pretty hilarious, though I felt very conspicuous while laughing at it since nobody else seemed to be laughing as much.)
And what happens on Jason’s first date with Ellie is pretty awesome. I think it’s slightly unfortunate that the relationship didn’t proceed in a more exciting, original, off-the-wall way given that strange start. Their part gets pretty formulaic after that. It’s not exactly unpleasant to watch the two of them together, but it’s not very exciting intellectually. (I guess the thing is, you feel frustrated as you watch because you know there’s a more effective way to present the material. It’s like when you hear what could be a great anecdote butchered by somebody who does not know how to tell a story and privileges odd details that bore everyone else.)
The Miles/Chelsea angle surprised me a little, too, because I thought initially that we were being set up for at least an hour of pointless brooding, but instead, we cut right to the chase. Even though that relationship wasn’t particularly exciting or novel, it gets major points for feeling extremely real. They’re a couple who actually make sense.
Michael B. Jordan as Mikey plays a remarkably sympathetic character who seems the most like a real person of all. Mikey’s not as eccentric as the others. He’s definitely not as weird. He has more of an everyman quality. He’s lived his life in an ordinary (if somewhat dull), responsible fashion.
The scenes where the guys are together having fun or having conflict are the best. The Miles/Chelsea parts are pretty good, too. Miles is a good character because he’s funny in a realistic way. (Jason is also very believable in that way. He’s funny, yes, but sometimes the jokes don’t turn out right. You feel like you could actually meet this person in real life.) Mikey’s story is definitely the saddest and most dramatic. So much awful stuff is happening to him, and he seems like such a decent guy, especially compared to his friends.
One thing about the film that truly fascinates me is its clear desire to speak for a generation. Every day as I encounter articles on the internet suggesting that all generations following X are completely doomed, I consider how frustrating all this non-stop, pointed bashing must be for people in their 20s and teens. Seriously, this crosses my mind all the time. I am truly baffled by the need to bewail the failings of these younger generations, to make such sweeping generalizations and dire pronouncements.
Sometimes when people write about how future generations have no morals/ focus/ ethics/ manners/ drive/ potential/ courtesy/ motivation/ self-concept/ whatever, and so the world is obviously doomed, I want to take the writer by the shoulders and shout, “No, no! The one who is doomed is you! That’s the doom you are sensing! The world is not coming to an end. Your life is coming to an end. The world will go on after you are gone. Your children won’t be the same as you, just as you aren’t the same as your parents. But life will continue, and the generation of people who think like each other will be just fine once they’re in charge. And then they’ll bash the next generation. Get over it. Stop being so melodramatic!”
I think the people ten to fifteen years younger than I am get bashed the most. It’s quite ridiculous the way they’re talked about constantly in the media as if they’re so debased and misguided they’re no longer even human and don’t even have the skills to dress themselves. Every generation has its problems, sure, but good grief! I know plenty of people in their teens and twenties who are neither monsters nor entitled nor incompetent nor lazy nor ignorant.
Also, I sympathize deeply with Mikey’s character and his check-boxes, which I’m not so sure is a generational thing actually. I think people my age right down to people my children’s ages live in this kind of world. But I don’t think the “selfish generation” label is very fair or very accurate. None of the people in this movie is exceptionally selfish, except for Jason, and that’s because he’s just extremely immature (and may have other undisclosed issues). He’s still quite a young man. It takes some people a long time to grow up.
Best Scene:
I kind of love the scene where Jason and Ellie are talking about old age. What’s great is that I initially felt annoyed as I listened to Jason describe his ideal death. But then when Ellie presented the revised version, suddenly I realized that in this scene, That Awkward Moment is really taking a shot at being the movie it wants to be. Jason is presented as a typical young man of his age and generation. What he is saying is total b.s., but he knows that. What he’s looking for is someone to call him on it. In that way, he’s no different than the young man who says, “I’ll never go to Vietnam/take over my father’s business/give up my insane dreams of wealth and power.” His intended life partner then jumps in, “Oh shut up! What you really want is to have an ordinary life, and you know that’s what you’re going to have, and I’m going to help you have it. Let’s grow up together and be adults.”
It’s a well written scene. (The movie is a little bit too self-consciously impressed with itself, but movies like St. Elmo’s Fire aren’t exactly flawless and reined in, if you’ll recall.)
Best Action Sequence:
The disaster at Thanksgiving is one of those weird sequences that seems (more than) a little contrived, but it offers up plenty of action and goofy mayhem that we don’t soon forget.
Best Scene Visually/Funniest Scene:
The “horizontal” scene is probably the funniest in the movie. (The idea of Mikey and the self-tanner is amusing, too, although I think this joke gets run into the ground and is never as funny as it wants to be to begin with.)
But the “horizontal” bit totally cracked me up. For one thing, I found it funny because I wasn’t expecting it. Also, it was oddly charming. Up to this point, too, the movie is much more original and clever than I had expected. What’s happening to Jason at this moment is so kooky, so zany that I really liked it, too. If he had been right, the movie might have been more fun. I really think the fact that he is wrong says a surprising amount about him and needs further exploration.
Up to and in this scene, however, the film is pretty brilliant.
The Negatives:
Some of the things that happen in this movie are flat out unbelievable, and that’s all the more unfortunate because they’re major plot points. Actually most of the craziest stuff centers on the behavior of Zac Efron’s character Jason, a guy who clearly has an elaborate backstory that is pointedly missing from the film.
I mean, he must. To be generous, I assumed that the film simply doesn’t take the time to delve into Jason’s hidden baggage, whatever huge trauma he’s struggling to overcome. He must be dealing with something more than simple immaturity, and we’re just not shown what that is. That is by far the most charitable reading of the script, trust me.
We do get hints that he’s been somehow hurt in the past, and he’s more guarded because of that. (Notice the scene in the park when Imogeen Poots’s character pointedly asks him about his past and he deflects the question using humor.)
But Jason really has quite a few issues, including these:
1) He is commitment phobic to an extreme degree. (What he fails to do for Imogen near the end is really just over-the-top ridiculous. Even a mere friend would do that. Even a guy who just wanted to keep sleeping with you would do it. His friend Mikey has it right. Any decent human being would do that, and unless he has some hidden issues, there is absolutely no reason for him to behave in the way that he does.
2) He uses his friends to excuse his poor judgment, bad behavior, and general short-comings. (That whole “bet” thing is an odd device that only sometimes seems to matter to characters other than Jason (who is clearly using it to mask deeper issues). I mean, that’s the mentality of boys innocent enough to find a pie seductive. Making silly bets like this is kind of sweet when you’re seventeen. When you’re twenty-five, you’re not out of line for making the bet in fun, but you’re an idiot for believing it’s binding when real life is getting in the way.)
3) When Jason knows he’s in a bad situation, he does not take normal steps to correct the way things are going. (Instead, he acts like he’s on I Love Lucy, always proceeding in the most dramatic, off-the-wall way possible.)
4) He’s self-centered to an age-inappropriate degree.
I refuse to believe that all of these things are true of Jason just because he’s part of the “selfish generation.” In fact, I refuse to believe that some of these things are true at all. Gormican creates some charming characters, but he puts them in unrealistic situations and forces them to do things that just flat out do not make sense.
I used to do this when I was young. I remember in one of my novels, a character runs from a bathroom naked and falls down the stairs just as some stuffy guests are entering through the front door (across from the foot of the stairs) for a dinner party. He then makes up a crazy story and proceeds to go through the entire rest of the dinner party naked. When my mother read it, she asked, “Why wouldn’t he just leave the room and put some clothes on?” I was like, “Because…”
…
To be fair to the younger me, the precise situation in my novel was more complex than my brief description. But my point is, just because something can happen, doesn’t mean it would.
When Jason shows up at the birthday party, he realizes something is wrong right away. And yet he takes no steps to defuse the awkward situation. (There’s one thing he could do very quickly and easily, and it would make a huge difference to the effect he has on the new people he’s meeting.) What’s worse is that Ellie sees what has happened and has a chance to intervene and quickly whisk him away and help him out a bit before doing the next thing she does. The whole awkward situation works out, I guess, but the way it plays out all seems very unlikely to me.
The initial confusion I have no problem with. (In fact, after the movie, my husband and I learned from each other that each of us interpreted a phrase Ellie used a different way and formed differing expectations that matched those of Jason and Ellie.) It’s just the way the whole thing plays out. I find it hard to believe.
Even harder to believe (in fact, impossible to believe barring an undisclosed psychological issue for Jason) is the way he doesn’t do this one specific thing for her near the end of the film.
And then at the very end, I wanted to be rooting for them, but um…
I understand what Jason is trying to do. He’s going for a Say Anything boom box moment. But the way he does it just seems so narcissistic, so selfish, so self-aggrandizing, self-serving, self-obsessed. It’s especially aggravating because he takes something that she has worked hard to achieve (with no help from him), something that’s a major professional accomplishment for her, and he threatens to screw it up because of his theatrics. He makes the whole situation all about him and thinks he’s a hero for doing so.
I watched Ellie and thought, If you really like this guy, I hope you’re good with dating him for ten years before even talking about starting a long engagement because he’s got some major growing up to do.
The Daniel/Chelsea relationship really worked for me, though, overall. And Mikey (though much abused) is incredibly sympathetic and (again) believable. But I’m not so sure about Jason and Ellie. Jason seems like a guy who just recently realized that he’s immature. Realizing that won’t make him mature overnight. The character is likable when he’s hanging out with his friends, though. It’s just a good thing he’s the lead in a male-oriented rom-com because he would sure never be the lead in a female-oriented rom-com. He’d be that creepy guy that all her friends knew she shouldn’t have given another chance. Or he’d be like a brief, dismissive anecdote on Sex and the City (“that guy who snuck out because [spoilers], and then when I confronted him, he said [spoilers.]”)
So some of the plot points didn’t work for me, and the scenes I’ve explicitly mentioned aren’t the only ones that felt off.
As I said before, though, the cast is much better than the movie. On the plus side, that means that the movie is always highly watchable, even during those moments when it doesn’t really make a lot of sense.
Now people inclined to be dismissive of the characters are not going to like the movie. If you can’t feel empathy for twenty-year-olds whose biggest problems are their own character flaws, then you probably shouldn’t see this. I mean, no, Jason is not facing a problem like potentially going to lose his life in Vietnam. But navigating early adulthood (trying to figure out exactly what you want from life and how to get that and how to stop preventing yourself from getting it) is hard for everyone. Life is always a big deal to the person living it. So if your knee-jerk reaction is to say, “These selfish, entitled, whiny twenty-year-olds need to get over themselves,” then just don’t see the movie. You won’t like it.
Overall:
That Awkward Moment is better than I expected. Its charismatic cast makes the movie highly watchable throughout, even when the script does its best to thwart their efforts. Writer/director Tom Gormican isn’t going to win any Academy Awards for this, but he does seem to have a distinct voice and a clear idea of what he wants to say. I’d be happy to watch his future movies. This one isn’t perfect, but it definitely has its charms. If you’re looking for some fun (and some 80s style brooding, self-important melodrama) then definitely check this movie out. I’ll virtually guarantee that several of the film’s young stars will be highly respected household names in the not-so-distant future. The film also raises awareness of the grave dangers of misuse of self-tanner. Some of the humor is crude, but there’s such an underlying sweetness to the film. If you’re hoping to watch a new release this week, then I highly recommend That Awkward Moment for the very practical reason that at many theaters, it is the only choice.