Review of Plus One, directed by Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer

I have been in such an interesting mood lately. If you look at my blog, you’ll see an explosion of activity when it comes to the kinds of movies I’ve been watching and the books I have been reading. I’ve really been going outside of my comfort zone, and I think that I’m living it up doing so.

That said, I have also been watching a lot of mindless movies, which isn’t bad, but it isn’t a hobby I seriously want to continue in the near future.

I think I’ve also been kind of rotting my brain a bit with these kinds of content, and I’ve neglected my writing outside of the blog because of it.

I did end up watching Plus One on one boring Monday because of it. My boss canceled our work meeting, so I kind of just shrugged and decided to scroll Netflix in search of my next great big watch. This ended up being it, although I typically do not go for these kinds of films.

Let’s get into the review!

After two close friends decide to be their plus one for every wedding they have to attend, tension boils.

Our main characters in this movie are Ben and Alice, who have been good friends since their college days. Now approaching their thirties, they’ve decided that whenever they go to weddings, they’re going to be each other’s plus one.

At a particular wedding, Alice has just broken up with her boyfriend and gets very drunk. Ben helps her throughout her little drunk phase, but when he goes to make a move on another former classmate, he discovers he’s just hit on an engaged woman.

Ben and Alice head back to their hotel, which is where they make the pact to go to weddings together. Alice also agrees to help Ben find a girl.

Back on the home front, Ben’s dad proposes to his young girlfriend, and Ben is asked to be the best man. Ben says he should think about his decisions instead, as he’s already had two failed marriages.

The operation to introduce Ben to new girls begins. Ben gets a one night stand, but isn’t satisfied with the relationships he’s creating and seeks out the true person who will fit him perfectly. Alice and Ben go to a wedding, are forced to share a bed, and she cuddles with him.

However, Ben doesn’t like this at all, and when they get drunk at the wedding, they almost kiss. Alice then discovers Ben’s dad asked him to be the best man, and she asks why he didn’t tell her. Ben then spills how angry he is at his dad, and then Alice talks him down from his angry thoughts.

Throughout this, they miss their shuttle home. They walk through a cemetery, then have sex with each other. When they wake up the next morning, they just decide not to acknowledge anything that has just happened. The next wedding, though, is in Hawaii, and they cannot deny their attraction to each other.

Ben also gets on Alice’s parents’ good side, but things go awry at the next wedding. She forgets the gift, and then Ben roasts her quite meanly about it. When the wedding ends, he tells her their relationship won’t go any further, so they decide to end things right there.

After that, Ben goes to the next round of weddings alone. He gets drunk and has some regrettable actions, and then realizes how badly he screwed up. He goes to a wedding Alice invited him to, only to discover her with her ex. When he confesses, Alice tells him that she’s not interested.

This gets Ben to clean up his act with his father, who had an acid trip and the two have a heart to heart. Ben agrees to be the best man, and he comes home to find Alice there. They have their confessional moment, then the movie ends with all going well at Chuck’s wedding.

Overall Thoughts

I went into this movie with very low expectations, and found myself pleasantly surprised. Does it go through the common tropes of these kinds of movies? Heck yeah.

But at the same time, when I was watching this, it was just what I needed. Sometimes watching too many serious movies make me feel like I’m thinking too hard, and I don’t want to keep that cycle. Being a graduate student is hard enough already.

Anyways, go watch this if you need something entertaining and not too intense.

Follow me below on Instagram and Goodreads for more.