Screenwriter Jean S. Monpère and co-writer/director Brandon Tamburri both make their feature-length debut with Plan B. The comedy begins when Piper (Jamie Lee) is thrown out of a club for excessive drunkenness. As she wanders the hall to her apartment, Piper runs into her nerdy neighbor across the hall, Evan (Jon Heder). Her inebriated state makes Piper frisky, so she invites Evan in for a one-night stand. He instantly agrees as Evan has been crushing on Piper since they first met.
A few weeks later, Piper is late. Dreading the idea that Evan is the father and not wanting a second abortion, Piper decides to find a hunky rich guy to screw on the first date and claim the baby is his. Initially, pickings seem slim until Cameron (Michael Lombardi) heavily flirts with Piper at the coffee shop where she works. The two hit it off instantly and, indeed, have sex right away. Cameron seems to be head over heels, while the guilt of what she’s doing is eating away at Piper. Is there any chance such a crazed idea will ever work? When it implodes, will Piper’s best friend Maya (Subhah Agarwal) give her the “I told you so” she so richly deserves?
“…Piper decides to find a hunky rich guy to screw on the first date and claim the baby is his.”
Plan B starts a little awkwardly. Piper is so drunk that every idea she has seems like a bad one. This makes it hard to like or care about her. But Lee is very charming, has excellent comedic timing, and overcomes the spotty writing within the first few minutes. As the absurd narrative settles in, Piper does become easier to like, and eventually, her perspective makes a lot of sense. The lead’s relationship with Cameron feels genuine and sweet, even as the big lie hangs overhead.
For her part, Agarwal keeps everything as grounded as possible. The character is the voice of reason, and the actor plays her with the same incredulity as the audience. Lombardi is sincere, and it makes sense that Piper really falls for him. Heder is as funny and cute as ever. But he also gets a few moments to really stretch his dramatic muscles and does so quite well. All the actors share a relatable chemistry that makes the goofy situation seem plausible.
Plan B is a silly premise that works thanks to the dialogue and performances. There’s real heart to be found at the core, and Lee mines all that she’s got to bring that and the comedy forth. She’s supported by strong actors on all sides of her, and the ending leaves all watching feeling good without ever feeling trite.
For more information, visit the official Plan B site.
"…a silly premise that works thanks to the dialogue and performances."
