Many people often underestimate the challenges and sacrifices that come with a long-term relationship. Things can seem rosy at first, perfect the next, but they rarely stand the test of time. It’s a familiar cycle for many, and for one particular couple in director Haley Rice’s This Is Love?!, a dealbreaker has come like a fork in the road.
Luke (screenwriter Tom Hausher) and Peter (J.D. Brookshire) are your average couple, as average as couples can get when rushing to get ready for a friend’s wedding party. Waking up, showers, outfits, the works. This is where we get an early, prolonged glimpse at their relationship dynamic. A loud, messy, but ultimately complementary union best describes their status, with a fair sprinkle of awkward jokes thrown in for good measure.
The gags are hit-or-miss, depending on your sense of humor. They run the gamut from being absurd and forced, like when Peter can’t find toilet paper in the morning without assistance, to oddly relatable, with Luke forgetting to peel the new clothing sticker off his shirt. In a weirdly chaotic, almost embellished way, the chemistry between the couple works even if the writing providing them their words lets them down. It’s when they arrive home from the reception that their plight rears its ugly head and simple bickering turns into a serious discussion.
Commitment issues lie at the core of the film’s central storyline, and by focusing on Luke and Peter exclusively, we get a good sense of what their personalities are like without any outside influences. So when they do finally clash over a man flirting with Luke at the reception, the floodgates open for the couple to seriously contemplate their future together. It’s a sincere discussion where both actors bring the best out of each other and come to a rather mature decision that contrasts the short’s more campy qualities. But just when you think the film is headed in a certain direction, there’s a final twist almost forced on top of what was already a tumultuous ride. Just like its sense of humor, your reception of this last-minute revelation will depend on your appreciation for the film’s uneven writing. You might walk away feeling completely cheated and perplexed, or intrigued by its backhanded approach to social commentary. Maybe a bit of both.
It’s peaks and valleys with This Is Love?!, a gay couple’s slice of life that’s both corny and clever at different intervals of its 10-minute runtime. Audiences who like divisive cliffhangers should feel right at home.
