Every new relationship reaches a confusing point where you have to decide if you are going to move forward or move on from the current fling. ‘That Awkward Moment’, starring Zac Efron, Miles Teller, and Michael B. Jordan, offers a sleazy bro twist on the classic rom-com formula. Recently separated from his wife, Mikey (Jordan) and his friends Jason (Efron) and Daniel (Teller) console each other the best way that guy friends in movies know how: girls and booze! The three make a pact to stay single and struggle to keep their promise to each other when all three of the guys find a special someone worth ending their deal.
The star-studded cast and hilarious promos filled audiences with high hopes, but, ultimately, ‘That Awkward Moment’ was most of the jokes falling flat. The film tries too hard to be one of the guys and avoid chick flick status, but with less penis jokes, it could easily compete with movies like ’27 Dresses’ or ’13 Going on 30.’ The characters are mostly unlikeable and border on sociopathic behavior, a crass attempt at relating with our “selfish” generation. It’s tough to see lovable Zac Efron play such a jerk, but after numerous close ups on his sensitive blue-green eyes, it does get a little easier. The film pays so much attention to classic male and female stereotypes that the audience might forget that it’s the year 2014 and men might actually have complicated feelings.
Most scenes were choppy and didn’t seem to have a flow or purpose. The resolutions to the relationship conflicts were hokey and unsatisfying, wrapping up in the last minute with anti-climatic gestures of true love after the men had learned the error of their ways. ‘That Awkward Moment’ is overall pretty disappointing, but has some good comical bits and lots of shirtless Zefron to make the vulgarity and the portrayal of male simplicity kind of worth it.
‘That Awkward Moment’ is rated R for sexual content and language throughout.
