Review of That Awkward Moment (2014) by Matt G — 26 Feb 2014

The ad campaign for TAM gives the impression that it will be, at the very least, a fun romp, but don't be fooled. TAM asks us to sympathize for and laugh with the most deplorable and chauvinistic of characters, like the obnoxious guys in high school who thought they were funny but weren't. Every "joke" is about poop or sex, which can be funny. Here, however, they are so poorly delivered and juvenile it's hard to tell if they were even meant as jokes or just as statements of misguided philosophy.

We follow three best friends who decide to call off real relationships in lieu of hooking up with as many women as possible. This tired story and accompanying dialogue are not only uninspired, inauthentic, and stupid, but make no tonal sense here. The drastic jumps from bad sex comedy to melodrama are so clumsy it's hard to know whether to blame the editing, the directing, or the script. Such a shame considering of the waste of young talent. Sure, Teller presents moments of charm, but no one is really given anything of quality to work with.

There are a few laughs, but for the most part I couldn't help feeling like I was watching a soon-to-be canceled sitcom. The writers seemed more interested in writing bad one-liners than creating originality or emotional connection between characters. Even my wife, who normally loves anything classified as "romance" and/or "comedy", resorted to playing Candy Crush for the last half. If you're looking for a funny bro-mance, go see Anchorman 2. SKIP THIS!