PHOTO COURTESY OF FOCUS FEATURES
“That Awkward Moment” may have been more appropriately titled, “That Awkward 94 Minutes.” It tells the story of three 20-something “bros” — Jason (Zac Efron), Daniel (Miles Teller) and Mikey (Michael B. Jordan) — living in New York City.
When Mikey’s wife is caught cheating, the three friends make a vow to all remain single as long as possible, thinking that no commitment means freedom to party and be with as many women as they want.
If viewers have ever watched a romantic comedy before, they can guess what happens next. After about an hour of watching these three vulgar, drunken buffoons make fools of themselves, each finds the challenge to remain single harder and harder to maintain.
If the story line doesn’t prove predictable enough on its own, the writing surely helps it out. Cheesy one-liners and degrading comments about women make up the “humor” of this movie. The male characters are all incredibly immature, and for some reason the women in the movie are shallow enough to fall for them — leaving viewers with no real likeable characters at all.
Producers tried to counteract the shalloweness of the movie by adding some more unique touches — the main female character Ellie (Imogen Poots) is a quirky girl who frolics around the city in massive fur coat, and the various apartments of the characters are very “urban hipster,” complete with antique furniture and art-covered walls.
Giving the movie a slightly edgier setting did add a bit of interest, but ultimately seemed odd in contrast with the flat characters and hardly-existent plot.
Though it may not be the worst romantic comedy ever released, “That Awkward Moment” certainly isn’t worth the price of a ticket.
RATING: 1 star