Candi’s Corner : THAT AWKWARD MOMENT

by Contributor Candace Cordelia

There’s no need to strive for cool. Everyone is a nerd in some way. You may be a Game of Thrones nerd, French food nerd, American politics nerd, or Hong Kong fashion nerd. The point is that we all have or have had something that we are passionate about, something that continues to keep our motors running.

Essentially, aside from the bromantic love triangle between Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller in That Awkward Moment, the movie is all about finding your passion, or a quest to find someone to be passionate about. For instance, at one point in the movie, Zac’s character, Jason, is asked if he likes his book cover illustration job, by Ellie, played very well by British actress Imogen Poots. Jason cleverly points out that his job is to encourage that one thing that everyone as a child is taught not to do: judge a book by its cover.

Speaking of judging a book by its cover – if you still think that Zac Efron is nothing but a Disney actor whose run ended along with the High School Musical franchise, I must say that you are dead wrong. This young man has chops and I’m personally vested in seeing more from him in the romantic comedy genre, as well as a leap into the horror genre.

Imogen Poots is most recognizable from the movies 28 Weeks Later and Fright Night (yet if you haven’t seen the movie Chatroom, I suggest you give it a whirl, as she is fantastic in this film as well). Her resume keeps expanding as she proves her acting range and mettle and I don’t care if this sounds clichéd, but she is certainly one to watch. In That Awkward Moment, by first look, she seems cool and hardly bothered, but as time wears on, you will come to find that she is just as bothered as everyone else around her.

Michael B. Jordan who plays Jason’s roommate from college, is not treated as “the token black” among his White friends in the movie. Nor do I think his career has
“taken a step back” by doing a light comedy, as opposed to shining in the cult classics Friday Night Lights and Chronicle, not to mention, the widely acclaimed Fruitvale Station. Although, Mikey is the more conservative character in this Tom Gormican written/directed flick. It’s nice to see Jordan in a less serious role, making penis jokes here and there. All movies can’t be serious, and let’s keep it real
– guys talk a lot about their “junk”.

Then there was Miles Teller. Ahhh, Miles Teller. When I first saw The Spectacular Now (click for Candi Corner Review), I knew this kid was going places. Teller has managed to
carve a nice spot in the Hollywood firmament and proves that he has both comedic and dramatic chops. In brief, the boy can act. His character Daniel in this movie, added a relatable everyman humor that anyone can see is genuinely Teller himself. He could have utilized the same over-the-top behavior that he did in another bromantic comedy, 21 and Over. But thankfully he does not. Instead he interjects the persona of that guy you knew in college or now know after graduation – the confident guy who loves life, women, and refuses to settle down just yet. But deep down inside, he is looking for the one. However, that doesn’t mean that he can’t partake in enjoyable one-night stands in the interim. Teller is rightfully being seen as a young John Cusack for the Millennial generation, and in my humble opinion, has the ability to become an actor’s actor, with staying power.

Lastly, while I had never seen her face before on television or in movies, recognition has to go out to actress Mackenzie Davis, otherwise known as Chelsea in this Gormican film (@SoVeryAwkward). She was centered, with an air of assuredness and a scoop of eccentricity. The Chelsea I met in That Awkward Moment was substantial and with each scene she was in, I wanted to know more about her. The clue about her job at Sotheby’s and her privileged upbringing mixed with her friendship with Daniel, was the most captivating relationship for me, and could be studied in a completely
new movie.

That Awkward Moment is refreshing in that it shows females as complicated and three-dimensional beings and males as more than vessels of aggression, privilege and cheap laughs. Aside from the relationship “awkward moments”, the movie also balances relatable dramatic moments of infidelity, death, and emotional detachment, mainly anchored through Efron’s character, Jason and Imogen’s, Ellie, but also through Mikey (Jordan) whose wife Vera, portrayed by
the lovely Jessica Lucas asks for a divorce at the start of the movie .

Everyone, and I mean, everyone, has amazing chemistry with one another, it’s truly a joy to watch and what makes this movie entertaining, besides Tom Gormican’s writing, are the social commentary and astute thoughts that arise from the themes of the movie:

The peek into loneliness and the innate
desire to connect.
Simply, what does it mean to love someone?
How can I attach myself to another
person when I’m feeling so unattached to other things and people around
me?
How long is too long to go about life as a single man?
Will I always
be a man-child?
Can I still have fun with my friends and be in a loving
relationship at the same time?
Is getting married right after college
too soon?
So, where is this relationship going?

These are questions that arise in #ThatAwkwardMoment, which implores you not to have the answers to them right away, but to at least think about them for a little while. I know that I still am. Because of this and the downright high amusement factor that this movie brought for me, I would love to see more of the adventures of Jason, Daniel, Mikey, Ellie, Chelsea, Vera, and “Glasses Girl” and how they’re faring in big ol’ New York City among the Carries and Hannahs of the world.

Be sure to visit Candace Cordelia’s other Reviews

T &T’s LAMB Score: 4 outta 5

Food & Film: That Awkward Moment Happy Hour

Prior to the screening of the movie Allied-THA invited attendees to attend a Happy Hour at a relatively new, rustically chic bar/restaurant around the corner from the theater called PRIME STACHE – owned by Brent Celek of the Philadelphia Eagles!