Hooking Up

This is my first review on here. I just watched this movie having stumbled upon it just the other day. I was impressed. I see a lot of people called it trashy, but I felt it was a movie with a lot of heartfelt moments. Sometimes a tad predictable, but I still loved it. Snow and Richardson are so likeable together. I walked away with a smile. Not nearly as trashy as people are saying, in my opinion.

My husband and I both enjoyed this movie! It had highs and lows, but they did a good job of balancing it out.

I liked it. The two of them had good chemistry. It was a solid plot and story told. Highly unlikely, but the writer's made it seem possible. I was entertained and I'm a cinephile.

When I heard about this movie, I had mixed feelings. I love Brittany Snow, but I don't usually like movies that are all about casual sex. I also didn't want to see Brittany degrade herself. However, I finally got around to watching it, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, and I didn't walk away thinking one of my favorite actors sold herself out for money. Honestly, I wish I hadn't dragged my feet on this one. (It is also probably more like a 7 or an 8. I just gave it a ten because I felt the low rating was unfair).

Hooking Up follows Darla Bean (Brittany Snow), a recovering sex addict who is in a quarter-life crisis, as she is about to lose her job. At the same time, Baily finds out that he has testicular cancer. Darla convinces Baily to take a road trip with her that forces them to get intimate with their issues. I won't give anything away, but I will say I was glad it wasn't all about sex, and it was needlessly crude. It was also refreshing to see a film treat sex addiction as a real thing and not just a punchline for a joke.

Brittany Snow's performance was amazing. She managed to make Darla a surprisingly deep character who was both funny and tragic. Sam Richardson also gave a great performance. I really related to his character, and he actually had really great chemistry with Brittany Snow, which is rare. It's not Pitch Perfect, and Darla is defiantly not Chloe. But Brittany Snow's performance plus a cute script is what really sold me on this movie. All I will say is go in with an open mind, and you might be suppressed. :)

I enjoyed it. It's pretty straightforward, has some great bits, and takes the A Lot Like Love approach to the romcom. The title more than indicates that. The true value is the two leads. They carry the load well.

Sam Richardson is an absolute joy to watch no matter the project so if the only thing you take from this movie is "I gotta watch more of this guy" then it's a success. He made Detroiters, he was in Mike and Dave need Wedding Dates, and probably best known for Veep, but he pops up Spy and The Office too. He's hilarious, so even in this movie where it could be a by-the-book rom-com road trip movie, he's elevating the script.

Brittany Snow is far more well-known at this point because of the Pitch Perfect series, but she's a little against type here, in my opinion. The movie starts playing Sam's character as a more redeemable guy with a few flaws, and Brittany's characters as an irredeemable girl with a few likeable traits and moves toward the center a bit with both. She probably has the most character development in the movie and she does a great job pulling it off.

As I said, it won't blow you away with originality, but it's got some humor, the two leads work well together, and of course has the lesson at the end. I'd watch it again with some friends no question.

PS - The racist posts about interracial relationships are pretty obviously stuck in the early 90s. Update your complaints, kids.