Starring: Sara Paxton, Zach Cregger, Ashley Bell, Michael Stahl-David
Director: Bryan Poyser
Rated: R
When Stan (Michael Stahl-David) finds out his ex girlfriend Cathy (Ashley Bell) is going back to Austen to visit her friend Kara (Sara Paxton) he calls his friend Jeff (Zach Cregger) in hopes of accidentally bumping into her. What he didn’t realize is that Jeff and Kara broke up after Cathy and Stan left town. Over the course of the weekend Kara takes Cathy out on the town while Jeff takes Stan out both hoping that they will get over each other and have a great weekend. You might be thinking I get the love part but what is the air sex. Did I forget to mention the part about the mile high club? I did not the air sex refers to a competition similar to that of the great past time “air guitar” pantomiming sexual positions with a comedic narrative thrown, in all taking place at Austen’s Alamo Draft House Theater.
The flaw of this is the romance of Stan and Cathy watching their story was about as enjoyable to me as I imagine it was for Dylan Farrow to watch that train in the Attic. They are so outshined by Jeff and Kara that you are left with zero emotional investment in them. Part of the problem is Ashley bell was so well cast in ‘The Last Exorcism’ films that it is hard to envision her in anything else, let alone the realm of a romantic comedy. She exudes such a sad fragility that she is completely out of place with happiness.
For all the fluff that is Stan and Cathy’s relationship the polar opposite can be said for Jeff and Kara. Sara Paxton who is always a breath of fresh air, shines as the “whore” friend who can’t get over her little dicked ex “Jeff”. While Cregger’s Jeff seems to be the only guy who realizes charisma can make up for whatever you lack in character or physical appearance.
These two alone make this worth watching. Particularly for Jeff’s stellar “Air Sex” work. One sexual charade is ‘Fuckasaurus Rex’ a tiny armed sexually frustrated dinosaur. Another is a miner trapped in a cavernous vagina. It’s like watching R rated charades (really the only type of charades that should be played)
Thank god for Paxton and Cregger or this would be unwatchable.
Grade 73