Review of That Awkward Moment (2014) by Ania R — 29 Mar 2014

New York romance tales starring quirky, memorable leads are in no way groundbreaking in our era, ranging from 90's heartfelt classics like "Sleepless in Seattle" to newly buzzworthy television shows like HBO's "Girls." In more ways than one, "That Awkward Moment" adopts the New-York-minute pace and banter of all those that came before it, but with one slight twist-the romance issues are told from the perspectives of three male best friends, suited for the bromance comedy crowd yearning for another iconic comedy like "The Hangover." Unfortunately, this trio falls far too short of the unadulterated hilarity for which it desperately reaches.

"That Awkward Moment" starts off promising enough, introducing us to a notably likeable cast starring ex-Disney star Zac Efron playing Jason, "Chronicle" star Michael B. Jordan playing Mikey, and "The Spectacular Now" star Miles Teller playing Daniel. Mikey is clearly the most distressed out of the three best friends, dealing with the reality of his impending divorce, despite still being in love with his wife. To comfort Mikey, Jason and Daniel agree to stay single with him, promising a new era of reckless partying and no-string-attached hook-ups. Lo and behold, after what feels like less than three seconds, the three singlehood devotees find themselves falling deeply in love with either girls they've picked up in bars or girls from their past. The plot progresses with such formulaic indifference that even the few laughs it manages to provide are tedious and repetitive, reliant on raunchy dialog and genitalia gags. Sure, "That Awkward Moment" has its rare moments of intellect and amusing slapstick humor, but the majority of the film is so unambitious and predictable that the ending can be spotted less than halfway into the film. While predictability is unsurprising for most rom-coms, the film makes no attempt at being refreshing or charming, leaving a witless disaster in its wake.

Despite its obvious and nearly intolerable flaws, "That Awkward Moment" manages to successfully raise a few relevant questions when it comes to dating in our Facebook-infused society. The "awkward moment" the film so boldly attempts to tackle is the time in a relationship when a couple asks themselves, "Where exactly is this heading?" As any life-affirming romantic comedy would answer, "puppy love and romantic declarations of love" will suffice, as is the case with this film. However, "That Awkward Moment" is filled to the brim with cringe-worthy dialog and unoriginal storylines that even its charismatic cast cannot support its deadweight.