I liked Hooking Up, just enough to give it a recommendation, but it has problems. If it were not for Brittany Snow and Sam Richardson, plus clever writing here and there, this movie would be a mess. As Bailey, Sam Richardson plays him as this charming and likable man-child. He’s the vulnerable one in the story. He’s the one you’re rooting for, and he’s the one with the most to lose in the proposition.
Brittany Snow, as Darla, had the harder job of making an unlikable character likable. She starts as this tough woman with an equally tough exterior and a voracious sexual appetite. Throughout the film, that exterior is torn down and softened in a believable, yet effective rom-com manner. The ending will feel familiar for those who have been in 12-step groups.
“…ends with some sweet and authentic moments to justifying its richly deserved rom-com designation.”
The film’s shortcoming is it’s not all that funny…to the point where I’d call Hooking Up, a light drama. Yes, there are humorous moments, but not many laugh-out-loud moments. The comic situations are fun to watch, like the party at Liz’s family house and the slapstick afterward or the interactions with Bailey’s parents (Vivica A. Fox and Bryan Pitts), but again mild laughs and amusing moments—light drama.
That said, Hooking Up is a hope-filled film about two opposites finding love in the most extreme circumstances. The story is good-natured, and while the premise is outlandish and over-the-top, it ends with some sweet and authentic moments to justifying its richly deserved rom-com designation.
"…a hope-filled film about two opposites finding love in the most extreme circumstances."
