That Awkward Moment starts with a romance cliché—Zac Efron, in voiceover, tells the audience that he has been sitting on a park bench for two hours, with the remorse of a guy who knows he has messed up big time. However, as Efron flashes back and the movie commences, it evolves into a modern story about romance in 2014.
The movie revolves around three best friends, all in their late 20s. Michael B. Jordan portrays Mickey, a Manhattan doctor whose wife dumps him in favor of a lawyer. Sad and angry at the idea of getting divorced, he turns to his friends, book cover designers Jason (Zac Efron, Parkland) and Daniel (Miles Teller, 21 & Over). Since all three men are single for the first time since college, they pledge to remain single so they can go to bars and clubs to find girls to hook up with and add to their “rosters” or have one night stands.
Jason defines a roster as a guy’s list of eligible girls that he can call up late at night, and they will come for no-strings-attached sex. He goes on to define the meaning of the “awkward moment,” which occurs after several weeks of hooking up. One lover, portrayed in this movie as the girl, begins with “So …” followed by a question such as, “Where are we heading?” or “What are we doing?”
Of course, like high school girls who pledge that they will have a “girls’ night” at prom without dates, they will immediately be tempted to enter relationships. Jason finds it difficult not to break his practiced hook up rules when he falls for Ellie (Imogen Poots, Filth), who is the perfect witty, sarcastic complement to him. Rather than trying to trick or manipulate Jason to commit to her, there is a genuine quality about Ellie. In a parallel situation, Daniel finds himself attracted to the supposedly friend-zoned Chelsea (Mackenzie Davis, Plato’s Reality Machine). Ellie and Chelsea serve as a refreshing change from the rom-com archetype of dominant, shrewd women who must tame the typical horny twenty-something-year-old guy. Admittedly, a few scenes go overboard in trying to oppose the feminine romance archetype with a few too many dirty jokes and repeated bathroom humor. Despite some of the sweet romantic moments that one expects to see in a romantic comedy, the strength of this movie is the impressive chemistry between the three lead actors. The viewers will certainly believe that this is a true “bromance.”
Led by the great on-screen chemistry and comedic strength of Efron, Jordan and Teller’s performances, this film is relatable to today’s romantic endeavors for young adults, characterized by the impersonality of hook-up culture and the underlying need for intimacy.
Nicole Horton is the Culture Editor for The Fordham Ram.
