A dude has sex with two hot babes—and manages to get them both pregnant—in the surprisingly tender comedy-drama The Threesome.
Jonah Hauer-King plays the lucky and then not-so-lucky guy, while Zoey Deutch plays his irreverent friend and Ruby Cruz the other woman, whose family of course has more conservative values and would be stunned to learn that their daughter partook in such scandalous behavior (it being a movie, they absolutely won’t find out, of course). The three stars have strong chemistry with one another, their ability to elevate the material sensational. Deutch, who seems content to lurk just outside the realm of mainstream stardom, is perfectly cast, while Hauer-King carries the emotional journey his character must take equally well. Cruz is also excellent, even if her character is a bit more of a third wheel.
The Threesome, judging by its title alone, would be easy to dismiss as a cheap throwaway project (or the most wholesome-sounding porn), but it’s a legitimate drama with some rom-com elements integrated into it (I was going to say “thrown on top,” but director Chard Hartigan and writer Ethan Ogilby are much more intentional with the romance and comedy for that to be the right verbiage). The sex scene is pretty hot, but the movie is much more about the fallout—the good, the bad, and the babies—than the act itself. What happens after the seed is spread feels believable, grounded, and true to form, an examination of sudden maturation, tough decisions, and the complications of modern parenting.
While the title might leave you expecting something entirely different, The Threesome is a satisfyingly strong drama that defies expectations.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.
