‘Plus One’ Is a Must-Watch Romantic Comedy

If, for any reason, you aren’t paying close attention to the influx of new films released every year, a romantic comedy gem slips by you, and you don’t notice it until it’s on Netflix. That’s the case for me and the Plus One movie, led remarkably by Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine. The film has its flaws, with an unnecessarily contrived third act, but despite everything, it’s the type of friends-to-lovers so many of us adore in our romance novels. 

Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer’s collaborative filmmaking efforts provide plenty of juice to the screenplay, but it’s ultimately Quaid and Erskine’s chemistry that propels the narrative forward while making every moment thoroughly riveting. Their friendship is hilarious from the start, effectively showing us the comfort they have with one another, but when it dives deeper into the territory where feelings start to blossom, the film begins its glorious takeoff.

The best types of romantic comedies are the ones where the lead stars care about their characters, and the writing allows them to be complex human beings. In this case, both Alice and Ben have their demons to work through, but it’s how they find ease in one another that reveals why they should be together. She’s coming off of a fresh breakup, and he can’t ever seem to keep a relationship because of commitment issues likely stemming from his parent’s divorce. Through these perils, they exist, in more ways than one, as each other’s steady ground.

Thus, like gravity, they tumble back to one another, deciding that maybe they should be each other’s plus ones while simultaneously helping one another find dates. It’s during the one-too-many weddings where the sparks between them start to blast, exploding into something more, forcing them actually to give their feelings a chance. And through each of these moments, Quaid and Erskine glow in their performances.

Plus One movie thus dives into the organic progression by allowing ordinary moments to bleed into something more, showcasing how friends generally find themselves embarking on romantic relationships. It’s about the person who’s ultimately the one you turn to when everything’s falling apart or when everything’s great. It’s the person you can argue with for hours on end, but know that they’re the one you can count on through everything.

So often, the problem with some romantic comedies is that it’s hard to believe the relationship can last when we know very little about both characters individually, let alone the two of them as a couple. And that’s precisely what makes Plus One movie stand out because we get all that’s necessary to understand that these two are going to make it. They’re it for each other, which is why relationships haven’t worked out for them in the past. They’ve been looking for each other in other people, and it took this silly little plea to bring them together. It also features one of the most realistically tender love declarations, delivered so beautifully by Jack Quaid that we now need him to star in more romantic comedies. There’s plenty to appreciate here—instances of only bed, dancing together, shower sex, wholesome hugs, authentic beats of vulnerability, hilarious banter—the movie has it all.

Plus One movie is now streaming on Netflix.
First Featured Image | Poster Credit: ©RLJE Films