Alice Mori (Maya Erskine) & Ben King (Jack Quaid).
The romantic-comedy works best when it's character-driven and has a fresh perspective, both of which Plus One has. However, it also helps that the movie is so incredibly funny and filled with sharp one-liners delivered with precision by the leads Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid. But it's Erskine who really steals the show. That's thanks to first-time feature directors Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer putting trust in their actors' instincts and allowing them to nail every moment.
The narrative does drag towards the third act and falls into some genre cliches. But for the most part, Plus One is a hilarious and, dare I say, relatable take on the classic romantic comedy formula with enough gags to keep you hooked from beginning to end.
Where to stream Plus One:
Between subversive mainstream hits like Crazy Rich Asians and Love, Simon and a seemingly never-ending parade of Netflix movies including To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Set it Up, it's clear that the romantic comedy is making its triumphant comeback.
And a new entry in the genre, Plus One — which made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival — is the perfect middle ground between those two groups of films. Directing and screenwriting duo Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer tackle a familiar rom-com story by not treating it like a story at all. They let their characters take the lead — and what characters they are.
Alice (Maya Erskine) and Ben (Jack Quaid) are decade-long friends who are going through the all too familiar — and dreaded — wedding season single. Alice recently broke up with her long-term boyfriend Nate and Ben has trouble committing. And as anyone that has gone through wedding season stag knows, it sucks.
So, just like many other rom-coms, the two hatch out a plan. They will be each other's plus-ones to every wedding they have to attend that summer — ten in total. From there, the movie is essentially split into chapters, each beginning with the always cringy toast delivered awkwardly by a maid of honor, best man, or parent.
You know the story from there. The pair who are all too perfect each other — sharp-tongued and brash Alice keeps the endearingly awkward and sensitive Ben grounded — skirt around being in an actual relationship until they finally give into their feelings. Eventually, things go awry putting their happily-ever-after at risk. It's a formula that has worked for decades (including in When Harry Met Sally, which starred Quaid's mother Meg Ryan).
Where Plus One freshens up the formula is its main characters. Specifically, Erskine's stellar performance — with an assist from the sharp and witty screenplay — is filled quick-fire comedic barbs delivered with precision timing and physical humor that can only be achieved when a director allows their actors to just go with it. And when the dramatic scenes come, she nails them with a powerful intensity without losing what makes the character admirable.
If anything, the movie's biggest fault is focusing the third act on Ben's commitment issues rather than Alice. His story is familiar. Her's is not. Especially since she comes from an Asian-American family presented in a way that we don't often see in film — like any other family. There are small nods to the cultural nuances that I, as a first-generation Asian-American, couldn't help but smile at. This is why diversity in film is important.
Plus One works best when it's just Ben and Alice squaring off in hilarious and sharp banter that is underscored by the romantic tension between them — a late-night argument about cuddling and Alice giving feedback on Ben's best man speech are highlights. Quaid keeps up with Erskine as his drier delivery matches up perfectly with her harsher tone. They're both basically classic twenty-something archetypes — and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
It's authentic and, dare I say, relatable. We don't like talking about our feelings so we put on sarcastic armor instead of dealing with it. The problems with Plus One come up when it starts dealing with it, but you have to commend it for trying. Come for the diner tilapia, stay for cemetery sex.
Where to stream Plus One:
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Hey! I'm Karl. You can find me on Twitter here. I'm also a Tomatometer-approved critic.
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