The Threesome Review: With Love, Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd

A love triangle with big twists and plenty of heartache, ‘The Threesome’ puts its own spin on the traditional rom-com formula

Having a Threesome is constantly rated as one of the top five fantasies for both men and women. The idea of having two people cater to your physical desires is enough to get most pulses racing. For some it’s a way to rekindle passion within a relationship, for others, a means to keep a partner interested. But there are those who use it as a means of avoiding intimacy. Like most fantasies, bringing it to the real world can have very mixed results. Which makes it a fascinating subject for a rom-com, a genre that is usually reserved for finding ‘the one’

The Threesome is directed by Chad Hartigan and features Zoey Deutch and Jonah Hauer-King at the heart of this ‘will they/won’t they’ love story. Jonah stars as Connor, a young charming and funny romantic. Connor has been in love with Olivia (Zoey Deutch) since they had a drunken one-night stand. Unfortunately Olivia isn’t looking for a relationship, well, at least not one that could actually lead to anything serious. She is a free spirit, daring, adventurous with little desire to be tied down in a normal life, which is what Connor represents for her. So while she does her best to let him know she’s not interested, she also does just enough to keep stringing him along.

When their mutual friend Greg (Jaboukie Young-White) suggests that Connor talk to a random lady sitting alone in the bar, in a bid to make Olivia jealous. This simple interaction sets off a series of events that changes the course of all their lives forever. Its not a spoiler to say they engage in a Threesome, as the title of the movie makes it pretty obvious, and the trailer reveals the fact that the wild night is followed by two unexpected pregnancies.  The circumstances that led to the threesome and the subsequent pregnancies you’ll have to discover yourself.

I went into this film expecting risqué sexual content and comedy in the vein of Wedding Crashers, Bridesmaids, Forgetting Sarah Marshall or No Hard Feelings. But this was not that type of film. There wasn’t anything more than kissing shown, and other than some adult language and one or two descriptions of sexual acts, the movie is quite tame in comparison to those films I just mentioned. That doesn’t make it a bad movie, it just means if you are expecting something edgy, adult and R-rated, you should adjust your expectations accordingly.

What ‘The Threesome ‘ does bring to the table is a lot of charm and heart alongside the drama and messiness of real life. And believe me, there are plenty of dramas and twists, each one designed to keep you guessing how this unintentional ‘trouple’ will eventually resolve their situationship.

While not the biggest fan of Rom coms, I really enjoyed ‘The Threesome’. Much of that is due to its lead characters, who end up delivering much more drama and tears than laughs. They are supported by comedian Jaboukie as Greg whose jokes, one-liners and unwavering support made me wish I had a gay best friend like him.

The other aspects I enjoyed were that, unlike typical romcoms, the director saw fit to include several topical issues into what you might presume would be a light-hearted film. In particular, discussions around abortion and a woman’s right to choose are very hot-button issues in America at the moment, and the film explores these themes i felt without passing judgment.  Regardless of where you stand on abortion rights, it lets you know that it’s never an easy decision either way.

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The Threesome was a surprise for me. It felt like the moment life gets real, as you transition from young care free 20 something to an adult, facing real responsibilities, but all done with a certain sense of innocence and fun.  It’s full of charm, some laughs and heartwarming moments. But it also manages to be thoughtful when dealing with heavier ideas like family, religion, infidelity and the way power dynamics and perception shift during the course of relationships. . It doesn’t challenge these ideas but brings them to the table as topics you might discuss afterwards with your partner or friends.

A complicated blend of love, laughs, and life’s messiness that attempts and mostly succeeds at bringing a new perspective to the well-travelled romcom genre. The Threesome hits select cinema screens on September 5th