Writer-director Nora Patrick has taken a flamethrower to romcoms with her caustic and cautionary Couples Weekend. Alexandra Daddario, Josh Gad. Daveed Diggs, and Ashley Park are her accomplices in this pitch-black melodrama on infidelity that is guaranteed to get people talking.
Over a concise running time it goes deep on the moral and ethical arguments behind monogamy, attraction, and the thin line that separates them. There are tantrums, tearful confessions, and sobering conversations designed to invite debate. Stranded together on New Years Eve, these consenting adults are forced to face some harsh realities about the lives they live and the choices each has made. From the seeds of personal temptation unpleasant revelations set them on a path that changes everything.
In the aftermath, Mitch, Melanie, Josh, and Debs desperately try to justify their actions in the face of bigger problems. Allowing audiences a front row seat to the implosion of long-term friendships as these four people go for the throat. Ruthless and unforgiving in its depiction, Couples Weekend injects a touch of reality into the hot mess which is infidelity. Making any comedy in this film a double-edged sword determined to cut if not decapitate.
Image Courtesy of Signature Entertainment
No one is walking away from this without wounds, and the degree to which injuries are inflicted comes down to personal choice. Performances across the board from the principal players is impressive as hearts are broken, poor decisions embraced, and moments of remorse add an unexpected poignancy.
Couples Weekend never shies away from the tougher questions around infidelity and offers up enough emotional honesty for things to hit home when it matters. As each character lets their guard down and audiences connect the dots, it becomes increasingly difficult not to side with someone. That is what makes this film so refreshing because it manages to find dignity among the carnage and avoids making judgements.
By placing all the evidence in front of them audiences get to play devil’s advocate, while moments of awkward comedy sweeten the pill of their indiscretions. Meaning that Couples Weekend might not reinvent the wheel of romantic comedy, but neither does it choose to go easy on anyone watching.
Couples Weekend is available on digital courtesy of Signature Entertainment.