Featured
Film Review: Are we officially dating?
/ February 18, 2014
Rating: MA15+
Release Date: February 13th, 2014.
Are We Officially Dating? comes off as a very confused film.
It’s leading man and release date suggest ‘Valentine’s Day rom-com’, but it’s rating and content pitch it as a smirky ‘Gossip Girls for blokes’.
Zac Efron stars as booty-call commitment-phobe Jason, alongside bumbly player Daniel (Miles Teller), and their recently separated friend Mikey (Michael B, Jordan). The three decide in support of Mikey’s status change to make a ‘bachelor pact’ and remain single and uncommitted for as long as possible, until love gets in the way.
We listen in as they then try to ‘figure out the complications of modern-day romance’, hoping for answers to the biggest questions we have about relationships.
Jason’s a guy who wants all the pleasure but none of the pain. In his world sex is god, ‘girlfriend’ is a dirty word, and longevity is out of the question. His masculinity becomes an excuse for all emotionless acts, and the girls in his life (his “roster”) come to accept that.
Miles lives like he wants to play the field, encouraging distance, ‘treating ’em mean to keep ’em keen’, constantly trying to better Jason’s efforts, and Mikey’s the guy who married at 23, became a Doctor, “ticked all the boxes”, and is wondering why things aren’t working.
Between the three of them the complex ideals and standards of dating are all broached, but no-one puts up their hand to talk straight to these guys and tell them why things might not be going so well.
On a cycle of misguided choices, Jason has a moment for change when love-interest Ellie requires more of him than just a physical experience. The prospect is daunting, and as he mulls it over slumped on a bar stool, the best piece of advice offered is to “go get laid” – “Oh yes wise stranger, what an awesome idea, let me go back and begin this all over again until I next feel challenged” – really helpful.
For three guys with relationships based on selfish motivation and value systems that use girls purely for pleasure, ignore marriage failure, and allow a flippancy to heart-break, there’s great space to voice an alternative one:
Have they considered sacrificial love? Have they thought about a relationship that begins outside the vulnerability of sex?
Maybe I’m expecting too much of Are We Dating Yet?, but as a film that at least suggests it’s going to offer some insight into a fiddly part of life and give us some guidelines, it has little benefit. It’s only piece of wisdom really is reminding us that “the definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Whether Are We Dating Yet? is an accurate portrayal of today’s scene and the kind of conversations guys have about dating, I don’t know…but if it is, nothing’s going to change until they start having different ones, and until better questions are asked.
3.5/10
