That Awkward Moment (released as Are We Officially Dating? in Australia, Indonesia, and New Zealand) is a 2014 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom Gormican in his directorial debut. The film stars Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Imogen Poots, Mackenzie Davis, and Jessica Lucas. The film had its Los Angeles premiere on January 27, 2014, and it was widely released on January 31 in the United States.
Plot
Jason is sitting on a bench in New York City waiting for someone to arrive. A voiceover explains that he has been waiting for a long time, but to explain why, he needs to go back to the beginning. Jason begins by telling the audience that every relationship reaches the “So…” moment, where someone in the relationship will want to take the relationship to a more serious place. At that point, Jason knows the relationship is over, as he is not ready to start dating.
Jason is currently working with his best friend Daniel at a publishing house designing book covers. Their friend Mikey, a young doctor who has been married to Vera since the end of college, comes to them after Vera requests a divorce. The three decide to go out to a bar and celebrate being single. The group meets up with Daniel’s female wingman, Chelsea, as they try to get Mikey’s mind off of his wife. Mikey meets a girl with glasses, while Jason meets Ellie, and hits it off with her after teasing another man that was trying to buy her a drink. Mikey gets “Glasses” number, but puts off calling her, resolving to work it out with Vera. Jason sleeps with Ellie, but leaves her apartment in a hurry after jumping to the mistaken conclusion that she is a prostitute.
The next day, Jason and Daniel make a book cover pitch to a new author, who happens to be Ellie. Jason is able to explain himself and the two begin seeing each other on a regular basis. Meanwhile, Daniel begins to fall for Chelsea, and the two begin seeing one another. Additionally, Mikey meets with Vera, and when she claims that the reason their marriage fell apart is because he is not spontaneous enough, Mikey kisses her, and the two sleep together in the hospital, reigniting their romance. All three friends attempt to keep their relationships a secret, due to their earlier agreement that they would stay single. The relationships all come to a head during Thanksgiving, a time that the three friends usually spend together, but varying circumstances keep them apart. Jason agrees to attend a funeral for Ellie’s recently passed father, Mikey plans a Thanksgiving dinner with Vera, and Daniel attends the traditional Thanksgiving feast with Chelsea, free to openly tell the guests about their relationship.
Jason ultimately decides not to attend the funeral, not ready to fully commit to Ellie, and their relationship falls apart. Mikey has a serious conversation with Vera during their dinner, causing her to admit that she no longer loves him. Jason and Mikey head to the dinner where they discover Daniel’s relationship with Chelsea, and when he denies that they are dating, his relationship falls apart as well. Although the three fight about having kept their relationships secret, they repair their friendship and try to recover their relationships.
Mikey calls “Glasses”, setting up a date, and Daniel reunites with Chelsea after being hit by a taxi and ending up in the hospital. However, Jason has still not reconciled with Ellie, despite still being in love with her. Two months later, Mikey and Daniel help Jason by encouraging him to tell her of his love at her weekly book readings, which are usually sparsely attended. However, upon their arrival, the reading is full and Jason is unable to figure out a way to talk with her. He decides to make a scene by improvising a book reading, referencing their first meeting and requesting that they start over by meeting in Gramercy Park.
Returning to the beginning, Jason is waiting for Ellie in Gramercy Park. Four hours later, Ellie joins him on the bench, and Jason begins with “So…”
Cast
Zac Efron as Jason
Miles Teller as Daniel
Michael B. Jordan as Mikey
Imogen Poots as Ellie Andrews
Mackenzie Davis as Chelsea
Jessica Lucas as Vera
Addison Timlin as Alana
Josh Pais as Fred
John Rothman as Chelsea’s Father
Tina Benko as Ellie’s Mom
Barbara Garrick as Chelsea’s Mother
Alysia Reiner as Amanda Silverman
Kate Simses as Glasses
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