Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie and Adam Scott
Directed by: Leslye Headland
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 41 mins
IFC Films
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
It’s what everybody wants. True love. To find someone and stay with them forever. That’s what Jake (Sudeikis) wants. Or so he says. However, he has a problem. Whenever he finds what he says he’s looking for he gets a little antsy. In the pantsy. Jake is a serial cheater. Enter Lainey (Brie). Or should I say re-enter Lainey. It’s been over a decade since she and Jake met cute at a party and lost their virginity to each other. Like Jake, she’s been looking for love. She thought she found it with her gynecologist (Scott, in rare dramatic form). But he’s getting married. What is a girl (and guy) to do?
Like “Bridesmaids” and “Trainwreck” before it, “Sleeping with Other People” is a sometimes raunchy comedy that occasionally tries too hard to shock. When it’s not trying to top itself it’s a modern-day “When Harry Met Sally,” once again trying to see if men and women can truly be friends with no benefits.
The cast does it’s best to keep the film moving. Sudeikis is his likable self, with just a touch of sarcasm. He’s like Ryan Reynolds, if Ryan Reynolds was your next door neighbor. Brie is the bravest of the cast, having to take off the blinders and charge headlong into a role that, if played any differently, would not be likable at all. I mention that Adam Scott is in “rare” dramatic form but I should mention that I saw this film over a month ago. Since then he’s turned in another fine performance in “Black Mass,” proving himself to be quite a skilled actor.
The screenplay, by director Headland, has some fine moments when it gets past the sexual politics and situations. I will say that I will never look at a Snapple bottle the same way again! However, the finer moments outweigh the cringe-worthy ones so I recommend you give it a try.
