Rent That Awkward Moment (2014)

That Awkward Moment review by George Hooper - Cinema Paradiso

Zac Efron films are a mixed bag, not only do some of them make you want to claw your eyes out (The High School Musical era) but some are just so sappy that they suck all the life out of the story (The Lucky One, Charlie St Cloud). That Awkward Moment lies somewhere in the middle and while the film doesn’t quite hit the highs its searching for it does have a great cast and some impressive writing with a wonderfully improvised feel to it.

The film follows best friends Jason (Efron), Daniel (Miles Teller) and Mikey (Michael B Jordan), three men who find themselves single in New York city who decide to make a pact to stay out of relationships together and enjoy their youth together. However when Jason and Daniel begin getting close to Ellie (Imogen Poots) and Chelsea (MacKenzie Davis) respectively they find themselves contemplating life after their 20s while Mikey slips back into them.

Although the film rarely feels like it has a purpose beyond cracking jokes and making men look borderline repugnant for the sake of comedy it does hold some impressive cards, chiefly among them a cast of up and coming actors who have proved themselves in other fare. Teller is the best of the bunch as the self absorbed Daniel and his chemistry with Davis is enviable. The film paints single life in a poor light but while it does seem to ignore certain aspects of reality it does provide a realistic script and dialogue that runs through making these friends seem genuinely close.

However the film tries to make points by dipping into old rom-com territory (the cliched death in the family falls flat) and it rarely makes you feel for these characters beyond their charming natures. There is also the problem of the fact they all talk so fast it feels like the film is trying too hard to make them quick witted which ultimately makes you feel like you are watching a dumbed down episode of an Aaron Sorkin dramedy. The whole thing is a mess but a fun mess that has more than enough laughs to pass the time without you screaming at the TV as if it will make a difference.