There are bad movies, there are good movies and then there are some that just make you shrug. That Awkward Moment just made me shrug. It's an appealing movie, but that's about it. That's a shame, since writer/director Tim Gormican really has some top talent to work with. Unfortunately, the material he's provided them doesn't give the actors an opportunity to shine.
That Awkward Moment stars Zac Efron as Jason, a guy in his mid-20s, living his life as a playboy. He's never attached to anyone for longer than a couple of weeks (and don't tell him that a girl might consider that dating). Jason's friends are Daniel (Miles Teller), a rambunctious guy who works with him at a book publisher designing covers; and Mickey (Michael B. Jordan), a married doctor. When Mickey's wife (Jessica Lucas) decides to leave him, the three decide that the best way to make Mickey feel better is by staying single as long as they can.
Of course, things don't go as planned. Jason immediately falls for Ellie (Imogen Poots) at their usual bar and Daniel finally realizes that the love of his life is his female wingman, Chelsea (Mackenzie Davis). Mickey has them believing that he's going out with a girl with glasses, but he's still seeing his wife.
From there on, the film follows the most expected plot paths you can expect. Jason has to realize that he's found The One, Daniel has to realize that he's an adult and Mickey has to get over his wife and move on. The way the four of them get there is no surprise. Of course, there are movies with predictable plots that are good, but Gormican – who is making his feature debut here – did not figure out how to make his pedestrian story interesting.
The three male leads do their best with the material Gormican came up with. Efron is enjoyable as the bad boy (a role he's clearly enjoying playing lately) and does well in some of the romantic scenes. Teller was good as well, but Jordan's the real disappointment here. He was so good in Fruitvale Station that his performance here is a bit sad. However, it's due to him getting the smallest of the main roles and he doesn't get much to do. Of course, props go to Imogen Poots, who is just great throughout the film. She and Efron have some great chemistry on screen, so hopefully they can find some better material for another project together.
That Awkward Moment hit theaters on Jan. 31 and is already out on home video today. The Sony DVD release includes a couple of inconsequential bonus features. “Threesome: More Awkward Moments” is nine minutes of the three guys talking about their own experiences and “Meet The Characters Featurettes” are four, one-minute promotional blurbs.
Gormican's film is likeable only because it stays so safe for 90 minutes. There's just enough f-words to get an R-rating, but none of it's very funny and there isn't even a single really awkward moment in the film. Maybe Are We Officially Dating? would have been a better title.