‘The Threesome’ Review: Zoey Deutch Leads A Heartfelt Look At Sex, Love & Pregnancy In Chad Hartigan’s Sincere RomCom [SXSW]

For the most part, eclectic indie writer/director Chad Hartigan has made an entire career out of taking his own personal experiences and spinning them into something different or turning them on their head entirely (see “Morris From America”). Lately, the filmmaker’s been branching out, making films based on other people’s original ideas, and he continues in this vein with the dramatic, romantic comedy “The Threesome.”

But if a movie about a sexual troika gone awry sounds like a bad, broad romantic comedy, keep in mind who the thoughtful filmmaker is here. Because in “The Threesome,” written by Ethan Ogilby, Hartigan takes a funny, comedic premise and injects it with some stark, sometimes sobering realities, which makes for a strong counterbalance to anything in the narrative that might get too silly.

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Far less diverting as its premise suggests, but still not without its engaging amounts of levity, “The Threesome,” in many ways, centers around unrequited love and messy 20/30 somethings still figuring out what they want out of life and how to walk through the world without harming others.

Starring Zoey Deutch (“Not Okay”), Jonah Hauer-King (“The Little Mermaid”) and Ruby Cruz (“Mare of Easttown,” “Bottoms”), “The Threesome” centers on a sort of situationship between the unassuming young man Connor (Hauer-King) and the more mercurial, elusive Olivia (Deutch), who he is constantly chasing, but doesn’t want to be pinned down. She is his longtime crush but keeps him at arms distance until a sweet-hearted, more innocent and alluring stranger named Jenny (Cruz) enters the picture on an off-chance.

On a kind of random, of-the-moment date—Jenny is stood up and left alone—Connor, with nothing to do, becomes chivalrous and keeps her company—and of course, Olivia, usually more aloof, begins to notice and gets a little jealous.

This chance encounter—with the help of some alcohol—eventually sparks the trio into a threesome—and then eventually kicks off the romance that Connor has pined for all along.

However, the morning after their dalliance, with Olivia already out the door, Connor and Jenny enjoy one more of-the-moment tryst. Complications, of course, quickly ensue.

It may veer a little too much into spoiler territory (you’ve been warned), but there’s little way to discuss “The Threesome” in earnest without getting into the first-act twist that propels the movie into the next chapter.

Olivia becomes accidentally pregnant from the threesome night, and so does Jenny from the following day’s encounter.

The unpredictable, free-spirited Olivia initially has no interest in keeping the child, and Connor, very much in love with her, is dying for her to have it, perhaps an excuse to finally bond them together. While this pair struggles to reconcile their future, a monkey wrench is thrown into everything when Jenny reveals she is pregnant. And being raised in a Mormon faith, she very much plans on keeping the baby whether Connor is interested or not.

Again, while this ‘Threesome’ concept seems broad and nearly farcical on paper, it’s remarkable how Hartigan and Ogilby’s script ground the film in emotional honesty, authenticity and convincing, poignant earnestness.

Connor yearns for Olivia, but being an upstanding guy, he still wants to be there for Jenny in any way possible. This wrinkle of duty upsets the wild card that is Olivia, and the couple goes off and on throughout the picture as Jenny generally stays firm as the baby-mama-to-be.

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The amusing comedian Jaboukie Young-White stars as the gay best friend cliché but really makes the most of it with hilarious jokes and one-liners that feel spontaneous and off-the-cuff. The film also stars Robert Longstreet as Jenny’s zealous religious father, who has been duped into thinking the union is real because she is too scared to tell him the pregnancy came from a one-night stand. The picture also features Josh Segarra, Arden Myrin, Kristin Slaysman, Allan McLeod, and Julia Sweeney in a minor role as Connor’s mom.

“The Threesome” is messy, as many of these real-life sexual flings can be when feelings are involved. But the messiness is human and part of the movie’s charm. Everyone falls prey to their egos, jealousy, insecurities, doubts, and fears, often making things worse for themselves in the moment, which acts against what they actually want.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of “The Threesome” is how it manages to remain real, grounded and tender but still succeeds in finding opportune moments of comedy in an undoubtedly an absurd situation. And the absurdity of the concept is well-composed by the sobering drama and truly emotional moments. Romantic comedies tend to be broad and silly, so you’ll be hard-pressed to remember a romcom this entertaining but also moving and poignant.

And if “The Threesome” ever threatens to veer off into something just too far-fetched, the movie can present something borderline preposterous but quickly transform its fallout into something authentic and affecting. “The Threesome” is a ménage à trois you should truly join and a warm and genuine winner overall.  [B+]

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