![]() In a production that’s solid and good-looking, if not distinctive, Gormican, DP Brandon Trost and production designer Ethan Tobman use the New York locations, from trendy Lower Manhattan to upper-crust Gramercy Park, to emphasize the sense of energy and possibility. Whether the characters are hanging out in their apartments, crowded nightspots or bustling daytime coffee shops, big-city aspiration is a key element of the story. Jason’s a good guy who can be more than a bit of a jerk, and there are no excuses when he badly fumbles in another character’s hour of need. As he did in At Any Price, Efron uses callowness to good effect, giving his performance a conflicted edge. Jordan’s Mikey fares best, sympathy-wise - he’s the most sensible of the three, and the most openly vulnerable - while Teller and Efron offer more fleeting glimpses of their characters’ sensitive sides. But unlike Judd Apatow, Gormican doesn’t insist that these boys and their growing pains are adorable. The actors’ chemistry is crucial to making often idiotic behavior at least somewhat palatable. ![]() Avoiding movie-girlfriend default settings, she holds her own, whether trading putdowns with the guys or performing a soulful number at the piano. ![]() Davis is especially captivating as Chelsea, whose teasing friendship with Daniel morphs into something else. Yet they’re intriguing, if not entirely believable. The movie’s two female leads, Poots and Mackenzie Davis, have been handed under-conceived, idealized constructions their characters’ purpose is to understand the misbehaving boys, and to help them grow up. And like their movie brethren, they attract smart, self-possessed women who aren’t necessarily three-dimensional. Jason and motormouth Daniel are of the goofy, immature type that prevails in contemporary American romantic comedies. ![]() Although she’s smart, sexy, and down with Scotch and Xbox, Jason still retreats to booty calls with Alana ( Addison Timlin), a sort-of-friend with benefits. Among the thin setups and the gags that fall flat, there are well-played laughs and exchanges that capture something true about youthful ambition and the distancing strategy of self-irony.Ī standout among these exchanges is the one that brings together Jason and Ellie ( Imogen Poots) at a packed bar, when the wrong guy offers to buy her a drink. The central characters’ contradictions resonate: These guys are trying to figure themselves out, though their chosen method is often avoidance. VIDEO: ‘That Awkward Moment’ Trailer: Zac Efron Strips Down, Struggles to Stay Singleīut even when Gormican’s material tries too hard to be wackily crude, and not hard enough to make dramatic sense, the actors suggest layers of experience that help to fill in the gaps. The director handles his screenplay’s shifting tones in clunky fashion, although a few jolts of absurdity, courtesy of Josh Pais as a workplace colleague of Jason’s, hit the mark. In smaller, sharper doses, the frenetic testosterone shtick of these baby-faced blusterers might have worked better. Gormican (who has a producing credit on the gross-fest Movie 43) leans too heavily on dick jokes, and the bathroom routine that’s an unfortunate defining element of Teller’s character instantly grows tired. ![]() But what matters is that eventually they’re lying to one another about their freewheeling status, and hiding deepening romantic involvements. How this is a change from their normal behavior is unclear. In an act of solidarity with their wounded bro, Jason and Daniel pledge to avoid relationship entanglements while building their “rosters” with one-night stands. Jason (Efron) and Daniel (Teller), who work together designing book covers in the loft offices of a downtown-chic company, rally to support their doctor friend Mikey (Jordan), who’s blindsided when his wife ( Jessica Lucas, in a woefully underwritten role) wants a divorce. STORY: ‘That Awkward Moment’ Screening: Stars Talk Challenges of Raunchy ComedyĪ sitcom-y pact among the three amigos forms the flimsy premise. ![]()
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