In the process of righting my many wrongs as a movie critic, I have come to understand my overreliance on the word ‘pleasant’ troubles me. My lexicon is a limited one and ‘pleasant’ evokes one of the best sentiments in which a movie can exist. Of course, I do enjoy thrillers and horror along with the ever-so-slightly feel-bad classics like Seven or Memento. But capping off the night with a movie that is warm, kind, and cheerful, one that is guaranteed to end on a happy note, is very satisfying to me.
The issue, undoubtedly, is how a lot of movies that fit such a description tend to be annoying and moronic. But ‘My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend’ is different. It is pleasant and manages to stay smart and witty. It was written and directed by first-timer Daryn Tufts with whom I did stand up with a comedy troupe in the 1990s, full disclosure Who uses the common rom-com clichés in fresh ways.
Oh, this is one of the very few romantic comedies that has charm and is, for one, actually funny. It is not ‘Pride and Prejudice’ romantic or ‘Airplane!’ funny, but it is still nice, you know?
The titular girlfriend is Jesse (Alyssa Milano), a heartbroken waitress at a coffee shop who bumps into two great guys on the same day. One is Ethan (Christopher Gorham), an aspiring novelist whose writing has been deemed “not good enough” by a publisher (Carol Kane, who I think was trying a Southern accent for some reason?) for some time now. The other one is Troy (Michael Landes), a successful and confident advertising executive. While Ethan is a bit of a harmless nerd, Troy is dashing and charismatic. Ethan is perpetually on the brink of accepting defeat in his quest to become a writer. With him, Troy is comfortable and assured.
You’re set to dislike Troy right? In a plot twist that no one saw coming, both guys are verifiably nice and they both treat Jesse very well. Either one of them would make a wonderful husband for her. However, we are on Ethan’s team for some reason probably because he is the underdog, or maybe because he is so open and emotionally vulnerable, or possibly because of the fact we encountered him first. At first, for a few minutes, we assumed that he was the one who’d be the lead in the story. Regardless, Jesse will have to pick one of the two, or at least, she has to inform them about each other’s identities. She has to do it, right?
Clever, heartwarming without being overly sentimental, and sweetly surprising, this is earned in large part from how charmingly Alyssa Milano and Christopher Gorham are with each other. Tufts frequently allows them to perform in long, constant shots and the interaction between the characters feels tenderly genuine.
For support, Tom Lenk who played in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” makes an appearance as Jesse’s brother, David, a hilariously awkward introvert who is somewhat renowned for acting in a bubble gum commercial. In a few delightful moments, Jesse and David’s uncle, Beau Bridges offer some encouragement to Jesse to try and move on after her past relationship struggles.
The movie is a simple one, produced under what I guess was a very low budget, but it certainly does not come off as tacky. The movie lacks the glamour that practically everything else in the multiplex possesses. What it does have, however, is a set of good performances, an intriguing story with unexpected twists, and a smart refreshing optimism. In terms of surprises, this one is by far the best.
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