Review by Ben Peyton
Directed by: Jeff Chan, Andrew Rhymer
Starring: Maya Erskine, Jack Quaid, Ed Begley Jr., Beck Bennett, Rosalind Chao, Perrey Reeves
Long term friends Ben and Alice (Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine) find themselves slap-bang in the middle of wedding season, single and both working through some personal issues. Ben’s looking for love, but is unnecessarily picky when it comes to the type of girl he dates, while Alice is repairing her broken heart from the break-up of a long-term relationship and is determined to drink away her unhappy memories.
With a whopping 10 weddings to attend between them (that’s some impressive social circles they have), including Ben’s father’s (Ed Begley Jr) third to a much younger fiancée (Perrey Reeves), they agree to be each other’s plus one and navigate their way through the different challenges that each wedding brings.
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In their first feature film, writers and directors Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer create some nifty tracking shots through the various ceremonies and have assembled a colourful bunch of characters in supporting roles. With astute observations, we see glimpses of speeches, some successful, some awkward, but all recognisable to anyone that’s ever attended more than one wedding themselves. Their razor-sharp script deftly brings to life all the nervous excitement and uncomfortable small-talk used as a room full of family and friends, often meeting for the first time and destined to never see one another again, share their stories about how they know the happy couple.
With parents sporting several rom-com hits to their names (Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid), Jack, looking strikingly like his father, proves a natural for this type of film. As Ben’s desire for love grows, so too does his fear of the unknown, while his reluctance to embrace the uncertainty that comes with a relationship threatens his happiness.
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Erskine’s comically skilful performance as the often outrageous, yet endearing Alice always manages to warrant empathy, and with a lesser actor she could easily have become obnoxious and irritating. Together, their chemistry is electric with comic-timing and delivery so perfect and natural, it often feels improvised.
Although predictable, it’s a smile all the way through with occasional laugh-out-loud moments. Plus One is a thoroughly charming romantic comedy, featuring two outstanding lead actors, intelligent, witty writing and showcases a lot of directorial promise from Chan and Rhymer. A perfect date-movie.
Plus One comes to UK VOD March 30th.
"It's a film that never raises its voice above a certain level, because it's made by a filmmaker who knows how women are viewed when they speak too loudly."— 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕄𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕗𝕗𝕝𝕖𝕣 (@themoviewaffler) March 26, 2020
THE PERFECT CANDIDATE is on Curzon Home Cinema from Friday.
Read @hilliseric's reviewhttps://t.co/9qJxzr05eg pic.twitter.com/WjhnwetD0L