Plus One (2019 film)

Plus One is a 2019 American romantic comedy film, written, directed, and produced by Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer. Starring Maya Erskine, Jack Quaid, Beck Bennett, Rosalind Chao, Perrey Reeves, and Ed Begley Jr., the film follows two longtime single friends who agree to be each other's plus one at every wedding they're invited to.

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019, where it won the Narrative Audience Award, and was released on June 14, 2019 by RLJE Films. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot
Ben King and Alice Mori, close friends since college and now in their late twenties, attend a wedding. There she, having recently broke up with her boyfriend Nate due to his infidelity, overindulges in alcohol and Ben helps take care of her.

Ben is fixated on former classmate Jess Ramsey and hopes to establish a romantic relationship with her. However, he embarrasses himself when she rebuffs his attempt to kiss her, as she is engaged. At the hotel, Ben and Alice both vent their frustrations of having to navigate wedding season alone, and decide to help one another by becoming each other's dates; with Alice also agreeing to help Ben meet women.

Ben goes golfing with his dad Chuck, who has proposed to his much younger girlfriend Gina, so he asks Ben to be his best man. Citing Chuck's two previous failed marriages, Ben suggests his dad take some time to think about his decision.

Alice uses blunt approaches to introduce Ben to various single women at the weddings, one of which culminates in Ben having a one-night-stand. However, he remains fixated on finding the "perfect" relationship versus casual flings.

After another wedding, Ben and Alice are forced to share a hotel bed. When she attempts to cuddle with him, he feels uncomfortable. The pair attend a wedding for one of Ben's family members, and he and Alice nearly drunkenly kiss in the pool after a deep conversation.

Alice learns that Ben has been asked to be his dad's best man, and expresses concern as to why he did not tell her or accepted. He expresses his frustrations with his dad, explaining he still feels resentment over his parents' divorce. Alice tells him that her parents remaining together for her and her sister, despite clear displeasure for each other, was not a better idea.

They miss the shuttle bus back to the hotel and are forced to walk, eventually cutting through a cemetery which Alice attempts to run through and trips. As Ben helps her with the cut on her arm, they embrace and have sex. The pair awkwardly have breakfast the following day, and decide not to discuss the previous night.

A number of weeks later, Ben and Alice travel to Hawaii for a destination wedding and once again recognise their mutual attraction. The pair become romantically involved, and Ben gains Alice's parents' approval after helping to make her sister's wedding a success.

As Ben and Alice prepare to attend another wedding, they get into an argument over her forgetting the wedding gift, as her nonchalant attitude frustrates Ben. At the wedding, he tells Alice he does not see their relationship going any further, so they break up.

Ben attends the remainder of weddings alone, and makes a drunken fool of himself prompting his friend Matt to intervene. After some discussion, Ben realizes his mistake and shows up to a wedding Alice previously invited him to, finding that she is back with Nate. He attempts to explain himself to Alice and professes his love, but she rebukes him.

Later that night, Chuck calls Ben for a ride after taking acid during his bachelor party. They reconcile, and Ben finally agrees to be his dad's best man.

When Ben returns home, he finds Alice waiting for him. The couple profess their love and reconvene their relationship. At Chuck's wedding, Ben gives a heartfelt speech to his dad and his new stepmother Gina, while Alice joyously listens on in approval.

Production
In November 2017, it was announced Maya Erskine, Jack Quaid, Ed Begley Jr., Finn Wittrock, Rosalind Chao, Perrey Reeves, Beck Bennett and Jon Bass had joined the cast of the film, with Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer directing from a screenplay they wrote. Ben Stiller, Nicholas Weinstock and Jackie Cohn served as executive producers under their Red Hour Films banner. Stu Pollard and Harris McCabe from Lunacy Productions also executive produced. James Short and John Short with Inwood Road Films also served as executive producers.

Release
The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019 and went on to win the Narrative Audience Award. Prior to, RLJE Films acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released in select theaters, VOD and Digital HD on June 14, 2019. It was released on Hulu on August 6, 2019.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of based on  reviews, with an average rating of. The website's critical consensus reads, "Plus One reinvigorates the rom-com with an entertaining outing elevated by well-matched leads and a story that embraces and transcends genre clichés." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Nick Schager of Variety praised Maya Erskine's performance and called the film one "genre fans won’t want to miss". Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times said that "Every minute Erskine is not on a screen is a minute wasted", while Jon Frosch of The Hollywood Reporter called Plus One a "modest rom-com that coasts on charm and chemistry".

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and suggested that "[Plus One needs] bigger laughs and more of the big, ironic comedy that Erskine can clearly deliver". Wendy Ide of The Observer gave Plus One a 4 out of 5 rating, saying that the film is "a predictable odd-couple romance" which is "given extra zest by the fantastic on-screen chemistry of its leads".