Are We Officially Dating- Review
Trying to find the perfect balance between sweet romance and shock-value humour isn’t easy. There’s a reason more movies don’t attempt to blend the two. While it isn’t completely successful, Are We Officially Dating is at least a valiant attempt to deliver a film that is built on equal parts of these opposing forces.
Following the end of a marriage, three lifelong friends make a pact to avoid relationships at all costs. Of course, because this is a romantic comedy, all three immediately fall in love (or back in love) with their probable soul mates.
Too often the movie keeps its two modes separate, one scene a sex comedy; the next a love story. You can get some whiplash as you try to readjust to each moment, but the individual moments do work. This is mostly the result of a game cast.
The core trio play off one another with a satisfyingly laid back energy. Miles Teller quickly establishes himself as the comic relief, showing some impressive improv skills when the guys just sit around riffing on one another. In these films the wacky best friends can often be too overbearing and obnoxious to be truly amusing, but the film wisely treats his story seriously, never letting him rest as a joke machine.
On the other hand, Michael B. Jordan is given more to do in the romantic department, as his character struggles with a major breakup. Despite lacking the laughs of the other stories, and feeling underwritten or ignored in places, his rings true in the quiet moments, particularly during an early scene that captures just how uncomfortable it can be to return to single life after a long term relationship.
The biggest surprise is Zac Efron, who displays a refreshing lack of vanity for a romantic lead, as adept at the gross out gags as the big dramatic beats. One big joke later on suggests he should do just fine in his next role as the villain in Seth Rogen’s upcoming comedy The Neighbours.
If the film can occasionally feel like two different movies thrown together in an attempt to cover as many bases as possible, it still could’ve been far worse. The cast are as committed to one style as they are the other, and the two movies that make up Are We Officially Dating are at the very least pretty decent. It points to a bright future ahead for it’s young star as he moves out of Disney and into Hollywood at large.
Are We Officially Dating is out in NZ cinemas from 13 February.
Reviewed by Liam Golds
