REVIEW: Sleeping With Other People

Courtesy of IFC Films

Romantic comedies are an endangered species in the current studio system, which is structured around making most of their profits in foreign markets. So, for the last decade or so, indie studios have been responsible for producing the kind of movies that date nights used to revolve around. However, perhaps because of the desire to remain outside the mainstream, this new incarnation of the romcom tends to contain a hard edge that might be off-putting to the kind of audience who would otherwise love the film.

That’s exactly the case with Sleeping with Other People, which opens this weekend in limited release. On the surface, it sounds like the kind of movie audiences would’ve flocked to in the late-1990s (possibly starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson). But it also possesses a frank, unapologetic opinion of modern sexuality – as evidenced by all the graphic conversations the main characters engage in – that could make it a no-go for much of its target demo.

Jake (Jason Sudeikis) and Lainey (Alison Brie) are both terrible at dating, making boneheaded decisions when they sense themselves getting too close to their respective partners. In Jake’s case, he cheats with a girl’s best friend or sister as a self-destruct button for the relationship. Lainey always runs back to the same guy (Adam Scott), mainly because he shows no interest in her aside from one thing.

When Jake and Lainey reconnect a decade after losing their virginity to each other in college, they immediately sense their connection is something special. But, based on past experience, they’re determined to keep their relationship platonic so they don’t mess it up. I’ll let you guess whether that works out for them.

I’ve heard others call Sleeping with Other People a modern version of When Harry Met Sally. It’s not a perfect comparison, but works as a simplistic description of the film’s plot. The big difference is that Harry and Sally weren’t as screwed up and self-destructive as Jake and Lainey. It’s great at creating conflict in the narrative, but frustrating for viewers who see the various instances of self-sabotage as artificial obstacles keeping the movie from its inevitable happy ending. Still, it makes for a mostly compelling journey.

Sudeikis is terrific, finally finding the perfect role to harness his effortlessly smarmy charm. However, unlike Brie, he doesn’t get many opportunities to explore his character’s depths. I wanted to know more about what made Jake tick. Brie is also great, particularly since writer-director Leslye Headland spends more time addressing her character’s flaws and motivations.

Headland also peppers the film with a number of popular indie actors, including Scott, Jason Mantzoukas, Amanda Peet and Andrea Savage, leading each scene to feel improv-heavy. The filmmaker aims for a slightly darker, more realistic tone than traditional romcoms, which leads to some weird tonal see-sawing. Overall, it’s a formula that worked out for me, but I can see it sharply dividing viewers.

Sleeping with Other People is rated R for strong sexual content, language including sexual references, and some drug use.

Grade: B-