Good romantic comedies are hard to come by these days. They
all follow a similar formula and there have been few released in the past few
years that have really differentiated themselves. Since everyone knows the
tropes rom coms need to execute the story at a high level to be enjoyable
enough to overcome the predictability. Sleeping With Other People is a romantic
comedy done right. The characters are likable, the actors are incredibly
talented comedically, and none of the old rom com standbys seem too contrived
or cliched.
I won’t lie that I was slightly worried when I first learned
that Leslye Headland was the writer/director. Bachelorette was a bit of a
letdown for me, even though I thought the cast was promising, and I was really
worried about having a similar experience with Sleeping With Other People.
Fortunately, Leslye raised her game as both a writer/director and I’m actually
excited to see what she will do next.
Back to the matter at hand. What really makes this movie
great is the cast. There are absolutely no weak links and each actor/actress is
on their A game throughout. Our leads are Jake (Jason Sudeikus) and Lainey
(Alison Brie) who after a one night virginity losing stand cross paths many
years later both incapable of having healthy relationships. Instead of jumping
into bed together, they agree they’re better off being friends and trying to
help and support each other as they deal with their hectic relationships.
Sudeikus and Brie are two of the most likable comedic actors working today and
they have great chemistry here. It’s believable that they would be friends and
their reactions to each traditional rom com beat feel completely sincere. We’re
willing to go wherever the movie will take us because we believe in this couple
so much and want to see them get together because we can see how they make each
other better. They even pull of the scenes of gross-out humor which can be a real
audience killer when done ineffectively.
What adds even more to this film is the great supporting
cast. I will admit that I am a bit of a Jason Mantzoukas fanboy so I may be a
little biased but he was absolutely hilarious here. I loved every line of his
and the rapport with his onscreen wife, played by Andrea Savage, was absolutely
fantastic. I could have sat through an entire movie of just those two riffing.
Natasha Lyonne has a hilarious turn as Lainey’s best friend, she’s able to
leave a huge impression with limited screen time. Amanda Peet and Adam Scott
round out the supporting cast as more or less the straight characters but they
are also very good at doing exactly what their roles need to do.
The director described the film as When Harry Met Sally with
assholes which is an apt description but it feels more appropriate to say it’s
the When Harry Met Sally for our time. Anyone like me who is tired of romantic
comedies will find a breath of fresh air with Sleeping With Other People
because it does everything right and everyone involved is just so damn likable.
