Movie Reviews: That Awkward Moment (2014)

So ... where is this going?

Director: Tom Gormican

Writer: Tom Gormican

Stars: Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Imogen Poots, Mackenzie Davis, Jessica Lucas

Synopsis: That Awkward Moment won’t be for everyone. Like a chick flick, it can be satisfying in the moment but rarely memorable. But it will probably make my list for Best Use of (Gratuitous?) Nudity, and for that reason alone it was worth it.

That Awkward Moment, a film about three guys committed to being single, appears to be targeting guys for their audience. But unlike other buddy films that tend to be hybridized with other genres – like road movies, westerns, and especially action cop films – That Awkward Moment seems to be more of a romantic comedy for guys. A chick flick for dudes. A bromantic comedy.

But surprisingly, it works. Well, it worked for me. It may work for a lot of gay guys happy to finally see Zac Efron’s naked ass – and once again see Miles Teller’s, too. Does it work for straight guys? I honestly have no idea. But if straight girls go to see it to see Zac Efron naked and end up dragging their boyfriends along, I suppose in many ways it’s exactly like a chick flick.

Zac Efron has actually attempted a surprising amount of variety in his young career, from musicals (High School Musical, Hairspray, The Lorax), coming of age films (17 Again, Charlie St. Cloud), period pieces (Me and Orson Welles, Parkland), and romantic dramas (The Lucky One, The Paperboy). This year, this film along with Neighbors appears to be his stab at dude comedies. He received a Cosmo nomination for Actor’s Character You Would Most Like to be Intimate With at the 2012 awards for Charlie St. Cloud, and won the award the following year for The Paperboy (dancing with Nicole Kidman in the rain in his tighty whiteys).

The film also costars Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole, 21 & Over) and Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle, Fruitvale Station), both of whom will be in the upcoming reboot of The Fantastic Four. The three guys have good chemistry and are believable as friends – more natural, in fact, than the romance between Efron and  Imogen Poots.

That Awkward Moment won’t be for everyone. Like a chick flick, it’s satisfying in the moment but rarely memorable. But it will probably make my list for Best Use of (Gratuitous?) Nudity, and for that reason alone it was worth it.

Rating: 2 ½ stars