Plus One: It's not about how long it lasts
Plus One Movie Review | Image Source
Okay, I watched this twice in the same year and that doesn't happen often.
Was it the romance or the comedy or was it just the drama that did it for me? I would say a bit of everything but that would be an oversimplification of what Plus One brings as a Romcom(+ drama?)
Forgive me, I know not how to properly term a movie that serves three genres perfectly.
It's not very often that I watch a movie on romance and enjoy it because it's often filled with some high school boring, fake and predictable storyline.
But Plus One is different, generally it's chill and you get a warm fuzzy feeling watching through each scene.
About Plus One
Plus One is a movie about two longtime friends, Ben and Alice, who have a summer of numerous weddings to attend and decide to be each other's “plus one” to said weddings.
The movie combines elements of romance, comedy and drama to pass a message on love and relationships.
The Storyline; natural
The movie begins with a display of speeches from different weddings with a chill music in the background, one that really let's you settle into a feel-good mood to enjoy the ride.
A little later, Ben is shown reading a speech to Alice who sits on the bed in his hotel room listening but cuts him short to ask a question as Ben goes about all the wrong things for a best man speech.
Both continue to argue as Ben “pretends” to be happy in his speech for his friend Matt who is getting married and leaving him behind.
Ben eventually sends Alice out of his hotel room after she pretends to not know a girl Ben references as he talks about the positive side of being at Matt’s wedding.
Alice tells Ben to stick to making people laugh with a joke for his speech rather than hiding his jealous sendoff for Matt in it as she leaves.
Turns out, Alice was right and Ben’s speech was loved by everyone because he mostly told the jokes.
Of course Alice makes fun of Ben for being right, and this is where I knew I was going to love this one.
Alice gets up, dances across the room drunk making everyone laugh and eventually returns to interrupt Ben’s conversation with Jess Ramsey, the girl he was looking forward to meeting at Matt’s wedding.
Noticing that Alice is drunk and out of place but seems comfortable around Ben, Jess Ramsey asks Ben if she's his girlfriend but Ben responds by letting Jess know that Alice recently got broken up with and is just having a tough time handling the wedding atmosphere.
Like any classic Romcom, the soon to be lovers are just friends who are disgusted of the idea of being together and always quick to throw the possibility of that being the case out the window whenever someone brings it up.
Also, like any classic Romcom, the girl Ben is interested in turns out to taken, revealed in a scene later away from the dance floor when Ben misread his “catch up and getting along well” with Jess Ramsey as a signal to reach in for a kiss but Jess pulls away and shows him her engagement ring and the two have to awkwardly say goodbye.
What happens after that is Ben returning to his hotel room and finding Alice who stole one of his key cards watching porn while munching on chips and ketchup.
Alice breaks into tears when Ben tells her about Jess Ramsey’s engagement. Being recently broken up with, she's hurt over the idea of attending more weddings as she cries about her Sister's and 4 upcomings to be at.
Ben, though not facing a breakup, is also freaked by the idea of having 6 weddings personally to attend as the only single one amongst his friends.
Alice at this point asks Ben to come with her to next wedding as she had already told everyone she was bringing someone before her breakup with Nate, her ex.
The scene really just sets the stage for what soon becomes an agreement between the two to avoid being miserable and at the singles table at every other wedding they had to attend.
Of course, I'm not going to spoil the fun and tell you everything that happened, but I'm sure you want to know how the two eventually became a thing.
Well, picture this: sex in a cemetery, accidentally, but enjoyed by both parties. Horrifying? It was mostly funny, I promise.
Plus One Trailer: YouTube
Why I watched this twice
Plus One hits all the classic romcom notes by being funny, heartfelt, and a bit messy.
Ben for the most part was a guy searching for perfection, while Alice was an unapologetically funny and free living love bug. I would say she made Ben’s stupidity bearable and it all felt so natural.
As the stupid guy searching for perfection, Ben of course messes up but luckily for him, Alice gives second chances.
Being someone that personally doesn't seek perfection in people but intentionality, the phrase “It's not about how long it last” was a dialogue that stood out for me in the movie when Ben mentioned that he didn't see the point in flowers as gifts as they die out and Alice commented on the longivity not being important as what matters is how the receiver feels about them.
Being a love story, this was perfect as it indirectly passes a message on what's most important in relationships. How long a relationship is going to last matters less to the simple reward of giving and receiving love.
Plus One, above everything was simply “natural-leaning” and to me that's the most important element of a love story. It's going to be messy, it's going to be funny at times but at least, there's going to be lovely moments with it.
I watched this twice because it was simply that good and especially because I just enjoyed seeing Alice be herself, that I found really attractive.
Ratings? In words, I'd say you'll have no regrets watching it.