Romantic comedies often thrive on awkward beginnings, but Chad Hartigan’s The Threesome pushes that discomfort into uncharted territory. What starts as a spontaneous hookup between longtime crushes Olivia (Zoey Deutch) and Connor (Jonah Hauer-King), joined by Jenny (Ruby Cruz) during a night out, spirals into something far more complicated: both women wind up pregnant. The result is a messy, funny, and unexpectedly heartbreaking film that embraces the chaos of adulthood without ever reaching for easy answers.
The first act is breezy and likable. A well-placed needle drop—Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix)”—sets the tone, and it’s easy to see why these characters would tumble into bed together. Hartigan allows the awkwardness to breathe; the moments leading up to the threesome are equal parts charming and cringeworthy. Some of the dialogue even plays like improv, with casual asides—like a mention of Shrek 2—slipping in naturally.
Where the film distinguishes itself is in how it handles the fallout. A surprisingly candid conversation about an unplanned pregnancy feels more real than most depictions on screen. Jenny and Olivia aren’t written as clichés; their flaws, fears, and contradictions are allowed to exist without judgment. The inclusion of queer characters who feel organic rather than tokenistic is refreshing. Olivia, meanwhile, is written with such sharp edges that viewers may find themselves actively disliking her, and that’s part of the film’s honesty.
The score by Keegan DeWitt leans on piano, strings, and the occasional burst of percussion. It lifts the lighter moments—softening even an abortion clinic scene—while also underlining the chaos when the story teeters toward full-on melodrama. The tonal balancing act often works: there are laugh-out-loud beats right alongside genuinely sad ones, giving the film a lived-in unpredictability. At times, it feels like a modern rom-com colliding with a Maury episode, complete with the sense that no one is going to walk away unscathed.
Performance-wise, the cast shines. Zoey Deutch has never been better; her laughter often feels unscripted, giving Olivia a disarming authenticity. Jonah Hauer-King delivers a winning turn as Connor, a decent man constantly punished for trying to do the right thing. His transformation from Disney’s Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid) to the grounded, increasingly desperate heart of this story shows a startling range. Ruby Cruz provides warmth as Jenny, a character who could have been sidelined but emerges as the film’s emotional core.
If the plot eventually edges into the unbelievable, the actors keep it grounded. Their chemistry and vulnerability make the escalating hijinks feel earned, even when the script flirts with going one dramatic beat too far. And the closing choice of Joy Division’s “Atmosphere” leaves the film on a haunting, melancholic note.
The Threesome is not a perfect film, nor does it try to be. It’s messy, uneven, and sometimes hard to watch. But in that imperfection lies its strength. Like real relationships, it’s full of contradictions: funny yet sad, cynical yet hopeful, romantic yet bruising. In the end, it’s a rare rom-com that feels genuinely modern, speaking to the ways personal and societal narratives shape how we see ourselves and the futures we imagine.
Jessie Hobson