The Threesome, directed by Chad Hartigan, is such a genuine pleasure. The first piece of evidence to bolster this claim is that it stars Zoey Deutch. She’s one of the most charming performers in film, and when operating in a rom-com, it’s an instant recipe for success. Her infectious charisma is a benefit that’s instantly felt in the film’s opening moments. And if she somehow wasn’t enough to convince you, she’s coupled alongside Prince Eric himself, Jonah Hauer-King, Bottoms breakout Ruby Cruz, and the legendary Jaboukie Young-White. This core four elevates this modern rom-com in many ways, but the primary asset it relies on is just how much heart each performer imbues into their character. This is a film that, despite treading a bit into male fantasy as its initial hook, greatly surpasses the expectations it sets up for itself within the introduction. Now, not to spoil anything, but this film does revolve around a threesome. Though it was a true shock to experience just how dramatically engaging this film became beyond its initial premise and titular inciting incident.
Connor (Hauer-King) and Olivia (Deutch) were co-workers who once had a fling and have remained friends in the time since. The only problem? Connor clearly felt more than just a physical attraction. Since then, it’s become a running gag amongst their friend group, Olivia included, at how devoted he is to holding out hope that Olivia may come to see him as something more than a friendly fling. It’s admittedly a rocky start to the film despite the charm both leads bring to this stereotypical predicament. As Connor chats with mutual friend Greg (Young-White), they notice Jenny (Cruz) sitting alone after being stood up. With Greg half-encouraging Connor to move on from the fling and half-encouraging him to goad Olivia, Connor hits it off with Jenny. Olivia does take notice, and what initially begins as an attempt to possibly sabotage the interaction becomes a threesome. Again, on paper, this can be read as a bit of a rushed and rough start. The only real motivation which seems to lead to this is Olivia running into Kevin (a criminally under-utilized Josh Segarra), another ex-fling who also happens to be a married man. Now, that’s not to say the initial hook of this film needs a copious amount of development and rationalizing. After all, it’s a modern film about the fluidity of relationships within the modern age. But it does feel indicative of the main issue of Ethan Ogilby’s screenplay, wherein Olivia and Jenny take a bit of a backseat in the emotional narrative. Nevertheless, the opening twenty minutes or so are more than comical enough to make way for what’s to come.
After capturing the awkward haze of a morning-after quite well, The Threesome quickly finds itself head-over-heels focusing on the now blossoming romance between Connor and Olivia. Through a montage of their honeymoon phase which makes way for wide-eyed love, Hauer-King and Deutch really sell a relationship that might otherwise feel hurried to an audience. Despite its pacing, there are so many well-directed moments that delightfully capture what feels like real-life chemistry, as well as genuine reactions to certain developments that could arise early on in any relationship. The film honestly makes it work quite well in practice. But, as Connor refers to it, a storm of “apocalyptically bad luck” affects the lives of the titular threesome. It’s the first of many legitimately shocking turns Hartigan and Ogilby have in store for their audience. The Threesome may lean on fantasy for its initial premise, but the remainder of this film is coated in a deeply messy realism. Though that’s not to say this film is ever a dour experience. On the contrary, one of the stronger aspects of The Threesome is its ability to balance the drama and comedy of its ups and downs.
For starters, Young-White’s performance allows the humor in this to feel very tongue-in-cheek. It’s self-aware in a way that isn’t grating to the viewer. It also makes the shocking events that much more of a delight when their reveals warrant a smile due to how clever the developments themselves can be. The Threesome is quite the messy film in that regard. The script places these characters in a set of situations that allow for a variety of conflicting emotions and reactions to brush up against one another. But these scenarios also make it a pretty honest one. We can look ahead at the rest of our lives and fill that blank canvas with dreams, fantasies, happy ideas of what comes next, and so much more. But oftentimes, those plans don’t pan out exactly as we initially envision them. As one character puts it, life is all about the new reality that is waiting for us. If mistakes are made, we can let them ruin us with a lifetime of indecision, pain, and suffering. Or, we could find a way to move forward despite all that, and not let these events define whatever our new reality may be. Early on in the film, Olivia encourages Connor to “meet the moment.” That can be an overwhelming choice to grapple with, but perhaps all we can do is meet a moment as it approaches us, and do the best we can after the fact. The Threesome shows us that life is about “messing up” in so many ways. But that’s not to say there’s always somebody that’s at fault. Relationships, like anything else in the modern age, are thorny and full of obstacles to navigate as we try to find our place amongst others. While the film may wrap everything up a bit neatly, its charm provides it enough leeway to ultimately satisfy an audience. It’s a genuine pleasure of a film.