SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE Is Raunchy Fun - Sundance 2015 Review
Sleeping With Other People is a comedy that hits all aspects of a raunchy fun emotional rollercoaster. This film allowed me to take my first breath of fresh air since the Sundance Film Festival began. Having been either depressed or disappointed by the previous films I watched, I really needed something to give me a boost and raise my spirits. Brilliant humor and perfectly timed comedy mixed with some very serious overtones all made for a very captivating and original comedy. To put it lightly; this is one f**king brilliant romantic comedy.
Director and screenwriter Leslye Headland (Bachelorette) stepped it up this year and brought Sundance the best romcom of 2015, proclaiming it on stage after its premiere as, “When Harry met Sally, with assholes.” Yes, this was a unique take on When Harry Met Sally, but you can go ahead and drop the “with assholes.” I counted only one. Other than that one person, all the characters in the film were actually very personable and likable.
Years after losing their virginity to each other in college, Lainey (Alison Brie), a woman who is enduring a love fixation with an asshole by the name of Matthew Sobvechik (Adam Scott), and Jake (Jason Sudeikis), a “late bloomer” dealing with the difficulty of contemporary dating and seemingly allergic to monogamy as a result, randomly cross paths in a support group. With obvious sparks flying between them, they agree to a platonic friendship and in doing so, team up to support each other as they freely sleep with other people.
Brie and Sudeikis have amazing chemistry in the film. Brie has quickly jumped up to the top of my list of favorite ladies in Hollywood and crushes it in the role of Lainey. She successfully rises to the challenge of playing both a comedic character and a person battling her love addiction to an unattainable douchebag. Sudeikis was hilarious through the entire film, delivering snappy comedy like he had been doing it for years now… oh, right. I hope that Scott is given good credit for his role in this film. I think he’s been great in just about everything that he is in. He far surpasses the common role of being a dick by adding a massive amount of flat-out creepy.
If you have ever enjoyed any movies or tv series that any of these actors have been in, you will like this movie. Headland has brought all the elements for this awesome raunch-romcom. It will leave you laughing your ass off and feeling a bit uncomfortable, and maybe you’ll even learn a little something. It’s a no-brainer that Sleeping With Other People will be wide released, so go see it when it comes out. I’d recommend it.