That Awkward Moment Blu-Ray Review
Jeremy Werner
June 1st, 2014
I’ve actually had to defend myself about this, so I’m going to go ahead and throw this out here first and foremost, I don’t hate Zac Efron. I actually think he’s very talented and it’s clearly seen in HAIRSPRAY. He also has a bit of comedic timing, as evident in 17 AGAIN. So why could I possibly not like him in THAT AWKWARD MOMENT? I have to whittle it down to his character being a sexist, self-absorbed, man-child. If that wasn’t bad enough, THAT AWKWARD MOMENT has a supporting cast of other enjoyable actors playing loathsome trolls.
THAT AWKWARD MOMENT tagline is, “When you realize getting some means wanting more”. Two of our male leads fall in that category. Jason (Efron) and Daniel (Teller) still go out to the bar and scout out the latest tail that they can take back home, make a couple of false promises to, screw, and never call again. The one person who seems to have “realized” that you can’t spend your whole life being chauvinistic at the beginning of the movie is Mikey (Jordan). The only problem is, he’s recently found out that his wife has been cheating on him.
His lifelong pals, Jason and Daniel, come to the “rescue” though. They think that they can help out their friend by making a promise. Jason and Daniel will abstain from dating and continue to pick up random bar floozies while Mikey goes through this divorce. Hell, they’ll even be Mikey’s wing man as they pump women full of liquor and throw out a couple of pick-up lines and winks. Oh boy. I’m already developing migraine.
I feel like it’s a horribly sexist notion, that to cheer up the one friend who’s experiencing a deep emotional void, they need to go on a binge of exploiting emotionally weak women at the random establishments they frequent. Then if that’s not bad enough, Jason and Daniel actually meet women that they fall for, but don’t want to commit to, because they feel that committing and admitting their deepest feelings will ruin their fiendish pact with Mikey. The only reason their pact crumbles is because the women find out their small-minded plan. If you’ve seen a couple of romantic movies, then you know what happens next and it’s about as unsettling as an orphanage fire.
There’s so much to like about this movie too. This script was on the 2010 Hollywood Blacklist (what the hell happened there?) and Jordan and Teller were in two of my favorite movies in 2013, THE SPECTACULAR NOW and FRUITVALE STATION, both in dramatic roles that really showcased their talents. Watching them go from award deserving performances to a poor man’s Judd Apatow comedy is a bit of a head scratcher. These two don’t have any comedic timing and the jokes continue to bash you over the head long past their expiration date. The script is so horrendously out of touch with reality, we’re meant to believe Jason and Daniel can afford a spacious downtown New York apartment off their jobs as book cover designers. I think I’m going to throw up.
The script is definitely the culprit. Our three main actors are likeable, but they’re just playing despicable people. Camaraderie is one thing that can really help the audience relate with the characters, but in THAT AWKWARD MOMENT that camaraderie is sandwiched between a couple of sexist moments. I’d advise you to avoid this heaping pile of smoldering trash that tries trick you into believe that men reach that special age where they want something more and all it takes is being their friends with benefits. Also don’t forget to prove that you’re one of the fellas by drinking whiskey and playing video games. If you don’t listen to my advice, there will come that awkward moment where you have to explain to the police why you threw your TV and Blu-ray player out the window.
THAT AWKWARD MOMENT BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080p HD Widescreen 2:40:1) Absolutely no problems here. The presentation of New York is beautiful despite the ugliness residing in the people on screen.
Audio: (English 5.1 DTS-HDMA) Nothing overpowering during the audio presentation. The vocals, music and sound effects were a near perfect balance.
Moment of Truth: Behind the Scenes (9:40): Maybe I’m weird or maybe they’re really good liars. This is the actors as well as the writer and director, Tom Gormican, talking about the truthfulness behind the story and it’s characters. They also drop some compliments in for each other, which is expected.
Threesome: More Awkward Moments (9:07): They get the three male leads together on a couch for this bit. They’re asked questions, that are rarely heard, and it seems to focus mainly on how they feel about their individual characters within the story. For some reason, Zac Efron physically gives off this vibe that he’s not that comfortable with his two co-stars. A couple of interesting questions, but overall, feels like unnecessary eye candy who want to see these three sandwiched together.
Character Profiles (3:53): You can watch these individually or all together. You get to “meet” Daniel, Ellie, Jason and Mikey. This takes a bit of the couch talk for each individual segment spliced with movie scenes. With each one being about a minute long, I feel like they compiled their online promotional videos for this feature.
Extended Gag Reel (3:40): Exactly what you think it is. Some more outtakes by the leads. If you’ll find this movie charming, and I don’t see how, you’ll love it.
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