by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Who out there enjoys an evening watching a romantic comedy? Who enjoys getting a little mystery in their cinematic experiences? Who would love to spend 90 minutes watching two attractive and charismatic people fall in love? Well… you are in luck! One of the latest releases coming your way in theaters is Stephen Basilone’s Long Weekend starring Finn Wittrock and Zoe Chao. A man who has experienced loss and heartbreak takes a chance on a mysterious woman. She has thousands of dollars in cash chilling in her purse and has no phone. Are those red flags? You will have to check this new romance out to find out!
Stephen Basilone pens the screenplay and brings his tale to life behind the camera as well.
Basilone has experience on comedies like Community (later seasons) and The Goldbergs, but Long Weekend is his first foray into feature-length films. This film runs on a modest runtime but also really takes its time to set up our central romance. We take time to set up Wittrock’s Bart as a man who has been through loss and a difficult breakup who has support in the form of his best friend, played by Damon Wayans Jr. who, along with his family, acts as comic relief throughout the film. Their young son even cheers about Bart getting laid. Fun, right? The humor at times can feel very forced. This relationship between Bart and Wayans’ Doug does gain depth throughout as Doug tries to be the voice of reason. Why does Bart need such a voice? Well… that is an interesting story.
What is the crux of this tale?
Bart heads to the theater to watch Being There with a bottle of alcohol. Unfortunately, his movie viewing doesn’t go as planned as he passes out only to be jarred awake post credits but a young woman. Embarrassed, Bart heads on out pronto, but this woman follows in pursuit. It is just his luck that he left his coat… and a large bottle of alcohol. What a wonderful opportunity for her to ask him out, right? The rest of the first act takes us on a charming evening with these two characters as they display plenty of charisma and chemistry (like any good rom-com pairing should). While Wittrock holds his own with layers of insecurity, Zoe Chao is the one who really shines. Chao is fantastic and fascinating. Who could help but to fall for this seemingly perfect woman? But don’t worry, the script makes jokes about her being a Manic Pixie Dream Girl so it is okay.
With all of this lovely setup, nothing could possibly go wrong, right?
Cue the red flags. Once Bart confronts her, the story takes a shift. Basilone does a solid job of balancing the humor and emotion, even if some of the emotional beats feel a bit blunt. One particular scene, though, that features our titular song feels so genuine and moving that you wonder why the rest of the film couldn’t quite hit that organic feel. Honestly, the film does struggle to hit a more organic feel instead of the artificial “I am watching a movie” feel. But what about the mystery that was promised at the beginning of the review? I will not spoil the reveal of what is really going on, but the rest of the film balances what is truth and what is in our heads. But should it matter?
But the most important question… is Long Weekend a story worth venturing?
Basilone has interesting ideas and his cast has charisma to spare, but his film rarely rises above solid. There are definitely moments that will resonate, but this film will hit more for those who love rom-coms. Will I be interested in seeing what else Basilone has to offer? There is plenty of potential here! I am definitely down if Zoe Chao is there too.
Grade: C+