Movie Review: The Threesome
One-liner: Solid performances, a curious premise and mature handling compel this meandering yet thoughtful indie romance comedy drama.
The Threesome is a coming-of-age romance comedy drama from Chad Hartigan, which centres on the aftermath of an evening with life-changing complications. When a guy and two girls get together, as the provocative title suggests, they soon discover their encounter will echo the rest of their days. While risqué in terms of its inciting incident, The Threesome is much more tame than you would imagine, a disarmingly subtle drama that’s more suggestive than gratuitous.
While the eye-catching title suggests the focus is on their wild exploits, in trying to navigate a love triangle, the story is much more grounded in reality as the repercussions of this fateful night play out. The concept hinges on a guy who thinks he’s living his ultimate fantasy, only to face the consequences of fathering children with two separate women.
The Threesome stars Jonah Hauer-King as Connor, Ruby Cruz as Jenny and Zoey Deutch as Olivia. Taken from the perspective of the handsome Hauer-King, his conflicted and earnest performance is central to the drama as he bounces between Jenny and Olivia. Cruz is clear-eyed as Jenny with a more conventional family background, while Deutch has the most layers as a character, tapping into some of the multi-faceted indie spirit that led Juno.
The story is much more invested in the emotion and weight of responsibility in stepping up. Having mixed feelings for both of his would-be partners, their personal lives intersect as they attempt to broach parenthood, each coming from different walks of life and figuring out how well their personalities match on the run. The real drama behind The Threesome is around adulthood and relationships in the modern era.
A pregnancy is miraculous and oftentimes complicated, serving as a great springboard for The Threesome. One unexpected teenage pregnancy in Juno was enough to sustain the indie comedy, making two unexpected pregnancies even more intriguing, without ramping the comedy to the point of Starbuck, where a man discovers he’s fathered a couple of hundred children through a sperm bank. The Threesome isn’t a straight-up comedy, taking its time to get to the heart of matters as these three people are inextricably linked.
“How ya doin’?”
A time capsule and social commentary, The Threesome explores family values in today’s world and tries to make sense of a father-to-be’s precarious situation, confronted with many tough choices. A cautionary and sobering tale, the drama here is focused on morality, responsibility and doing the right thing as each of the trio are forced to do some self-reflection, own up to their own shortcomings and find a way forward. The Threesome entrenches itself in this drama as if Dawson had got Joey and Jen pregnant, hovering in this indie space.
Dabs of comedy add some much-needed charm and comic relief to keep from becoming overly serious, landing some hilarious moments as interpersonal relationships and extended family and friends are drawn into their situationship. The Threesome remains entertaining and engaging, delivering a more cerebral romance comedy drama. This will come as a surprise to those expecting something raunchier, offering a great deal of nuance and subtlety as its characters take accountability and are forced to grow up.
This film does wallow in the difficulties of its relational dynamics, veering far from the lofty ideals of a romance comedy in favour of the tension of making amends. The comedic undertone is most welcome just when the meandering film starts to feel a bit long, taking some unexpected twists-and-turns along the way. While it does seem as though the leads have an inordinate amount of free time to manage their personal lives, the characters are grounded through natural dialogue and sharp performances.
While they may incur the wrath of the audience in falling prey to their carnal desires, the judgement for their big mistake dissipates as we come to care for the characters and see them showing up, trying to navigate the difficulties of an unexpected pregnancy when it comes to finances, family and expectations. The Threesome creates a number of realistic moments where awkward, tense and even funny are earned.
The provocative title is possibly a double-edged sword in terms of one’s appreciation for this type of film and doesn’t do the actual quality and thought-provoking nature of the film justice. Through insightful dialogue, social commentary and a pensive tone, it becomes clear this is not a rambunctious sex comedy but more of a charming indie romance comedy-drama. While a little slow-moving, the intricacies of this outlandish premise and the relational dynamics keep the film from stagnating, presenting a cautionary tale with due seriousness and a sometimes cheeky attitude. While more sombre and not as precocious as Juno, both films have their similarities as offbeat drama, pregnancy and unlikely scenarios compel through solid performances and thoughtful writing.
The bottom line: Unexpected
