Plan B

This is one of the funniest independent movies I've seen all year. I loved the zaniness to the story and how the characters were not exaggerated or over the top. While it's not a romantic movie and much of it is predictable, the film's locations and cultural references made it a fun experience.

Jamie Lee is excellent as the conniving Piper. Jon Heder needed this resurgence - it was a perfect role for him. The one thing preventing me from scoring the movie higher was that some characters were under utilized or not well defined. I think that showing more scenes of how Piper interacted with Cameron's (or perhaps Evan's parents) would have upped the ante. Imagine being told that you're going to become grandparents for the first time, and that dream is snatched away from you. That would have been an interesting reaction to see.

The movie ended on a sweet note, although abruptly. So I do recommend that folks watch this for a date night. Not quite a masterpiece, but it's good-natured and well acted.

Greetings again from the darkness. The seeds of some of the best comedies are sown in real life scenarios and take advantage of the awkward reactions of everyday folks. The first feature film from writer-director Brandon Tamburri and co-writer Jean S Monpere takes on a cringeworthy situation that likely happens more frequently than we'd expect: a drunken woman sleeps with a guy and ends up pregnant from the encounter. Her decision tree is questionable leading to drama with real world ramifications. To make this palatable, the filmmakers take a comedic approach.

Jamie Lee ("Crashing") stars as Piper, the above-referenced drunken woman who bumps into her neighbor, Evan Ebert, as she stumbles back home from a night of partying. Most movie goers probably haven't seen Jon Heder on screen since NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (2004), although he has worked regularly and often since. Many will be surprised when he pops up as nice guy (and yes, quite quirky) Evan, the initially lucky neighbor in this scenario. Evan is the kind of guy who introduces himself as "a certified Uber driver", has a pet named Cat Sajak, and has had a quiet crush on Piper for quite some time. In contrast, Piper is the kind who, when she finds out she's pregnant, decides not to tell Evan he's going to be a father, and instead begins scouting for a more acceptable 'Baby Daddy'.

In order to reduce the disgusting nature of Piper's plan, comedy is infused into most every scene. Piper's roommate Maya (Subhah Agarwal, writer on "The Jim Jeffries Show") acts as a bit of conscience for her friend, yet is unsuccessful in talking her out of it. Cameron (Michael Lombardi), a regular customer at the coffee shop where Piper works, is handsome and successful, and due to the necessarily tight timeline, becomes the target of Piper's plan. Again, know that this is mostly played for laughs, including Shannon Elizabeth (AMERICAN PIE, 1999) as Cameron's 'cheesecake' loving inappropriate boss; Kate Flannery ("The Office") as the publisher who is interested in Piper's Instagram "I Spy Love"; and Tom Berenger (with blindingly white teeth) and Suzanne Savoy as Cameron's parents.

If the above description wasn't enough, nice guy Evan also volunteers to accompany Piper to her Lamaze class ... administered by a tough guy played by former NFL player Vernon Davis. Again, all of the inappropriate and insincere aspects of the story (and Piper's actions) are delivered with comedic intentions - most in an exaggerated manner. Of course, we all know how this is going to end, so it really comes down to whether you can accept the humor and the personal growth shown by Piper.

Available on VOD and Digital on September 27, 2024.

I watch the majority of comedy movies that come out nowadays and I can honestly say this one of the better ones that I've seen over the last 4-5 years. In a world of remakes and reboots, this concept felt original enough to draw me in. I'll also say that it's not only laugh out loud funny but it has so much heart. My favorite comedies are the ones that make you laugh throughout and then tear up at the end. This did just that. I don't want to give any spoilers, but the payoff at the end is extremely rewarding and I couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face. I also loved the contrast between Jon Heder and Michael Lombardi. Two polar opposites yet both prove to be charming in their own way. My score for this is an A-.

I watched this on Apple TV last night and was pleasantly surprised to say the least. I love comedy movies and this one not only has a very original premise (which is apparently hard to do) but it also stars Jon Heder who I hadn't seen in a while. Even though this is marketed as a romantic comedy, I'd say it's way funnier than most of the romcoms coming out nowadays. In terms of humor, it definitely falls in the realm of the R-rated Judd Apatow style romcoms like Trainwreck and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Speaking of, Jamie Lee from Apatow's HBO series Crashing is the lead in this alongside Heder. She's fantastic in this. I hadn't seen her in anything since Crashing and this looks like her first lead role in a movie. I wouldn't be shocked if she starts starring in big blockbuster comedies after this. If you read the logline, you already know that her character is doing something despicable, but she is so funny and charming that you can't help but root for her.

I'm honestly not a huge fan of comedy movies and I'm certainly not a fan of romantic comedies...I watched this solely because I saw that Tom Berenger was in it. I live for the Sniper movies and watch everything that Tom Berenger does. I have to say, I had no idea that he could be so funny. I suppose Major League and the Big Chill are comedies, but not in the traditional sense like Plan B. I'm still hoping they make another Sniper movie but after seeing this, I wouldn't be opposed to Tom Berenger going the Robert De Niro route and starting to focus more on comedy movies as he gets older. He's clearly got the chops for it. The rest of the cast were good in this too. I really enjoyed this movie.