Plan B

As "Plan B" (2021 release; 107 min) opens, we get to know BFFs Sunny and Lupe, both HS juniors or seniors somewhere in South Dakota. Sunny has a crush on Hunter. Lupe talks Sunny into throwing a party at her house as her mom is out of town at a conference. At the party, things quickly go out of control... At this point we are 10 min into the film.

Couple of comments: this is the directing debut of Natalie Morales (best known for roles in various TV series). And what a debut it is! First and foremost, this is both a comedy and a road trip movie, and it is often hilarious and rip-roaring. Much of the credit for that must go to the two lead performers, Kuhoo Verma (as Sunny) and Victoria Moroles (as Lupe). Their on-screen chemistry is undeniable, and it's just a joy to see them. That said, the movie is also poignant and sad, as the underlying reminder is how women's health care is already hard to come by (if at all) in large stretches of this country. And that is before a possible Supreme Court decision later this year whether to hollow out or simply overturn Roe v Wade altogether. Yea, this is what this country has come to: first an attempted coup d'etat by the worst president this country has ever seen, simply because he didn't like the results of the presidential election; now a potential turnover of what has been the well-established law of the land for half a century, all to appease a fanatic religious minority in this country. What's next? New voter restrictions? Oh, wait...

"Plan B" was released on Hulu in May, 2021. I only recently became aware of this film, when I saw it mentioned in NPR's "best movies of 2021" list. So glad I found out about it. If you are in the mood for a funny and outrageous comedy that has an undeniable political undertone, I'd readily suggest you check this out on Hulu or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

This film definitely has something to say, and it says it pretty early on. Two best friends, Sunny and Lupe, are 17 year old high school students raised in strict households. Sunny's south Asian mother plays this culture's archetypal overbearing parent who wants her daughter to be perfect at everything, and Sunny's personality and insecurities reflect her fear of falling short, as she complies with her mother's kind, but firm, commands to always be better and not take little mistakes for granted. Her best pal Lupe rebels against her strict Hispanic father, but the writing gently lays them both into the same space of feeling afraid and feeling brave, thus complementing each other as characters. Speaking of lays, as you know or probably guessed from the film's title, someone does get laid, and a journey to track down the morning after pill ensues.

If you're rolling your eyes right now because you hate Planned Parenthood or are pro life to the very end, then this review is not for you and I'm guessing the movie wasn't for you or will not be. But if that's not the case, then I suggest you watch this with an open mind and give the organic performances of the lead actresses a chance. Both are funny, raw, sentimental, and embody the countless vibrantly close female friendships that exist all over the country at that age. Sunny and Lupe depend on each other and love each other, and the sharp twists and turns of navigating teenage life as an almost adult female with reproductive organs and hormones is child's play compared with the bond they have as friends. The dialogue and chemistry of these talented actresses' performances captures this dichotomy extremely well.

This film has many jarring and emotional turns, and yet it does not take itself too seriously. It addresses what cannot be an uncommon problem: trying to find birth control options in the plains states without disturbing the small community or infringing upon its societal norms. And that does not even account for the laws that were likely generated based on these same communal, tightly-tied values. The fear of this is palpable as the characters realize the enormity of the predicament they are in, and yet the film does not overstate it. In this way, the story rings true, and it does not play like another teen movie.

For viewers with children, this film very much deserves its mature rating. There is casual underage drinking, as well as soft and hard drug use throughout. And then of course there is the "Prince Albert" nude sex scene. So, ironically, I wouldn't allow anyone under the age of 18 to watch this film about two 17 year olds. But everyone matures at different ages, so your call.

Long story short, this film is an enjoyable journey about friendship, distrust, insecurity, confusion, actions (with very real consequences), and unconditional love.

Writing: 9/10 Acting: 9/10 Soundtrack: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Gut: 9/10

Overall: 8.6 rounded to 9.

Great teen movie - Absolutely perfect for the completely out-of-touch upper Midwest. Beautiful and touching.

The "plan B," so to speak, to this teenage (or twenty-somethings playing teenagers, rather) buddy-party flick would be a road trip movie, including a bit more partying. We've seen it before: "Superbad" (2007) and "Booksmart" (2019) meets, say, a less depressing "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" (2020), or even the stoners-instead-of-teenagers "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" (2004), except instead of the buddies hitting the road in search of a laxative in the shape of tiny fast-food burgers, they're after the morning-after pill. The joke being, I guess, that the obvious answer of a pharmacy was staring them in the face all along. Kids, huh, making the simplest tasks into life-affirming adventures. To their credit, these ones do try a pharmacy first, but are unwilling to discuss sex with their parents so as to get an obstinate clerk--I mean pharmacist--to fork over the drug. Or, maybe try another pharmacy.... But, I suppose this is a commentary on particularly American sexual hangups and how contraception gets tied up in the country with abortion, Planned Parenthood and evangelical-political moralizing.

Graciously, "Plan B" isn't as obtuse as it could've been in regards to its obvious socio-political commentary, although there are a few politically-correct or straw-man racial jokes that land with a thud. A fellow student, for instance, who remarks with surprise that one of the girls' homes doesn't smell like curry. Later, there's the tired trope of rapacious men cornering them, and they also employ food-based racism, as well as misogyny. During one of the parties, too, one of the girls quips about how something must be how white privilege feels. Fortunately, most of the comedy is better than that. There's even some relatively-graphic humor involving what I assume was a prosthetic penis. Good, because these type of movies are insufferable if they're rated anything less than the MPAA's R, or the TV-slash-streaming-on-Hulu equivalent of TV-MA.

Compared to that other girl-buddy flick "Booksmart," "Plan B" isn't quite as well filmed. None of the drug-induced fantasy sequences. The musical cues and underwater cinematography in the party scenes regarding the lesbian friend in that one is more impressive filmmaking than anything seen here. A similar plotline is included here, too, but it doesn't quite fit as well into the general theme of sexual repression as I assume it was intended to. It's derivative otherwise, as well. On the other hand, at least the kids in this one don't appear to be condescending rich brats as in "Booksmart." So, there's that, and it's passably amusing.

Also, there's a good joke from Andy the drug dealer regarding his also supposedly being 17, but his skin being affected by his lack of water. Of course, the actor being really closer to 30 than 17.

9/10 - if you love Booksmart as much as I do, you will absolutely adore this new raunchy high school comedy that is much in the same vain but also feels entirely fresh and worthy of much acclaim.