The 10 Year Plan

So two best friends scribble down a contract on a napkin that states that should they both be single in ten years, they are to marry each other. One of the pair, "Myles" (Jack Turner) is a successful lawyer, but also more of a loving and romantic sort of lad who always ends up getting dumped. When that happens, he habitually meets up with his pal "Brady" (Michael Adam Hamilton). He is a much more confident guy, a cop, who picks up men effortlessly but who isn't remotely into anything longer-term than fifteen minutes. Both are out, proud and accepted by their friends and at work where just about everyone else thinks that they are really made for each other, but can't see the wood for the trees. Then "Myles" meets "Hunter" (Adam Bucci) with whom he feels a connection, only for his pal to meet him too, and... This whole film is cheesy and predictable but the two lead efforts are quite engaging and it's the sheer (albeit optimistic) normalcy of the film that makes it a bit different. Nobody cares that they are gay, indeed the dynamic between "Brady" and his partner "Richard" (Moronai Kanekoa) delivers some quite pithy patrol-car banter as the former's sexual successes are frequently the topic of conversation whilst his pal fares less well with the ladies. It's quite a fun look at the shallowness of gay lifestyles, and in that it can be a little lazily stereotypical, but it's still quite watchable as the conclusion looms ever larger without the merest hint of doubt!

Bad acting, cheesy clichés, stilted dialogue, beautiful male eye candy. It's a pretty mediocre film, but I watched it to the end because it was nice just watching hot guys mooning over each other. Of course, they had the chemistry of, well, two C-grade actors that had just met, but whatchya gonna do?

Totally contrived and implausible plot, but it ended on a charming positive note. Not much chance that someone young and hot and addicted to the LA Grindr scene is suddenly going to shake that loose to form a stable, monogamous marriage. Negative portrayal of gay men being hyper promiscuous, mean spirited and detached with their hookups. But at least they weren't smoking or doing hard drugs. The two central characters became likable enough to root for them, but there was no basis given that would warrant any shred of faith that their re-imagined relationship would last more than a few months.

I found the predictability of the plot enjoyable and the actors fun to watch.

Of particular note, the protagonist's portrayal as an obsessive compulsive romantic felt authentic (even though hyperbolicly acted) as a type of person seeking love something I could connect with. The movie didn't try to change that part of the main character even while it showed pit falls that the anxious style of attachment commonly develops.

The main characters being super cute helps a lot for the enjoyment of this movie and all in all, I found it to be a completely enjoyable "alone on a Friday night with a bottle of red wine" sort of movie.

The 10 year plan is full of clichés both of the gay world and of Hollywood romantic comedies. Is absolutely predictable and shows nothing new. But it's nicely shot and gives a some good laughs. I had a nice time watching it.