The Drama
After an adorably awkward meet cute in a Cambridge coffee shop, museum curator Charlie Thompson (Robert Pattinson) and publishing editor Emma Harwood (Zendaya) appear to be the perfect couple, but while choosing their wedding menu over multiple bottles of wine with their Best Man and Maid of Honor, Mike (Mamoudou Athie, "Jurassic World: Dominion," "Kinds of Kindness") and Rachel (Alana Haim, "Licorice Pizza," "The Mastermind"), Rachel notes how she and Mike told each other the worst thing they'd ever done before getting married. Having overindulged, Emma shares a secret so shocking that Rachel immediately condemns her and Charlie is left reeling, his attempts to get reassurance only making things worse leading to a wedding known as "The Drama."
Laura's Review: C+
Norwegian writer/director Kristoffer Borgli ("Sick of Myself," "Dream Scenario") has specialized in a type of dark comedy where people's worst impulses spiral out of control. But while that is also true of his latest, what he's pinned on Emma is a really questionable choice to mine for comedy. An old essay he wrote excusing himself for having had a relationship with a sixteen year-old when he was twenty-seven ('the heart wants what it wants,' although it should be noted that sixteen is the age of consent in Norway) is likely this film's impetus, another case of behavior condemned by friends which the filmmaker wishes to condone. Without having seen Borgli's first film, which didn't receive a release in the U.S., I'd say his filmography is becoming a case of diminishing returns.
That is not to blame the cast or production, both of which give this film their all. Pattinson, in particular, is very good here, his bumbling courtship leading into impulsive moves that turn up the sexual heat between him and Zendaya, the latter's droll teasing a turn on, before he begins to jump at every turn, seeing red flags everywhere. Borgli moves directly from the moment Charlie attempts to talk to Emma about the book she's reading without realizing she's deaf in her exposed ear and has an earphone in the other to cross cutting between the two writing their wedding speeches, Charlie receiving sound advice from Mike which will later be tossed aside in panic. We'll witness Emma's impulsiveness as she rebels against the strict choreography of their wedding dance instructor, a rebellious streak Charlie will begin to see in a more ominous light.
Then the revelation happens, 'the worst thing' Emma ever did impossible to reveal without spoiling the film. It is so shocking, at first everyone thinks she's joking, and that's after Rachel revealed she'd once locked a mentally disabled neighborhood kid in a closet and left him there overnight (Haim is both funny and caustic as hell as Rachel). Emma then proceeds to projectile vomit onto the table, turning what had been a happy occasion into a nightmarish disaster. The next day, Charlie attempts to reassure Emma that of course he still loves her, but clearly this is weighing on him and he begins to imagine the events of her past, his concepts interwoven with flashbacks of what actually happened (Jordyn Curet of "Marriage Story" steps in for Emma at fifteen). It is notable that Emma's recollections are far less dire than what Charlie imagines, the motivations Borgli's given Emma for unthinkable revenge a bit of weak sauce. At least he's provided her with an escape hatch.
Meanwhile, Rachel is refusing to respond to Emma's emails, affecting a work project. Even worse, Charlie's attempt to talk to coworker Misha (Hailey Benton Gates, "Challengers") about his wedding jitters with a 'what if' scenario which is actually the truth so confirms his worst fears that his behavior becomes unhinged and his reaction will come back to haunt him. Upbeat wedding photographer Frances (Zoë Winters, HBO's 'Succession') doesn't quite know what to make of the couple who seem so uncomfortable together. And suddenly it is wedding day, one which begins like a teetering Jenga tower which has one block after another removed until the entire thing collapses. But just like Borgli's controversial essay, the heart wants what it wants, a repeated theme of Emma playing 'let's start over' taken to its natural conclusion in a Cambridge diner.
Speaking of which, Bostonians should enjoy recognizing such locations as Andy's Diner, Copley Square's Tatte Bakery & Café, Boston's South Station, the Addison Art Gallery in Andover and Ipswich's The Mansion on Turner Hill (although oddly, filming in this very Boston-steeped film also took place in New Orleans, London, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore). The production cannot be faulted, from cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan's 35mm lensing to costume designer Katina Danabassis's ("Past Lives") character defining clothing and elegantly simple wedding dress to Daniel Pemberton's ticking time bomb of a score led by, of all things, a flute.
At its core, "The Drama" has an intriguing point to make about really knowing the person one falls in love with and the film's cast gives us moments sexy, funny and cringe. But one shouldn't leave a romantic comedy disturbed and this movie is just unsettling, its taste questionable.
Robin's Review: C+
Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) are headed for marital bliss. But, just days before the nuptials are set to happen, one finds out that there is a shocking truth about the other that were unknown, until now, in "The Drama"
The soon-to-be-wed couple is having dinner with her maid of honor, Rachel (Alana Haim) and his best man Mike (Mamoudou Athie). After food and drink, the challenge is issued for each to tell their biggest secret. Each tells of one embarrassing thing or another that happened and then it is Emma's turn. The night then goes terribly wrong.
Emma's secret is so devastating that Rachel immediately goes incommunicado with her best friend on the eve of the wedding. Mike acts the understanding mediator, but Charlie, he does not respond very well. The one revealed secret will put their very wedding in jeopardy.
For me, at age 74, Emma's revelation does not pack the punch it would on her contemporaries, so I had to think about it. What has become so commonplace in America today was an impossibility while I was growing up. We were worried about getting nuked by the Russkies – an unlikely possibility compared to Emma's revealing.
As the story unfolds and the feelings of the players take hold, I began to see what Emma's secret actually means to those around her. Rachel, as said, rejects her and Mike sort of understands her. But, Charlie! His reaction, to me, is extreme and leads to strange behavior from the groom and Pattinson runs with it – well. Zendaya, on the other hand, builds your opinion of her after the secret breaks and you can understand her youthful confusion – mainly from being bullied as a teen.
Writer-director Kristoffer Borgli lays out the dilemma quickly and milks it longer than it should, though Pattinson does the slow burn to manic comic purpose. Emma, though, has the arc of character that, as her secret comes out, you find out what happened in flashback. The problem I have is that the finale is too neatly tied up in a bow and in a telegraphed and predictable way. Too bad.
A24 releases "The Drama" in theaters on 4/3/26.
