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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Not often do we see coming-of-age teen comedy-dramas about the search for contraception. More so, we have not seen many films like this that include women of color. The following article will be a brief non-spoiler review of Natalie Morales’s film, Plan B. The film releases next Friday, although Hulu was kind enough to allow The Cinema Spot to see it over one week early. As a result, there will be absolutely no spoilers in this article.
Plot Synopsis
The plot of the film is summed up as follows:
The best trips are never planned. After a regrettable first sexual encounter, a strait-laced high school student (Kuhoo Verma) and her slacker best friend (Victoria Moroles) have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill in America’s heartland.
Verma and Moroles play the lead women of color characters, Sunny and Lupe, respectively.
Jolly Abraham plays Sunny’s mother, Rosie Singh, while Jacob Vargas plays Lupe’s father, Pastor Pedro. Michael Provost and Mason Cook portray the respective polarizing high school boys, Hunter and Kyle. Gus Birney and Hana Hayes appear as the leads’ high school female peers, Megan and Emma.
Myha’la Herrold, Timothy Granaderos, Edi Patterson take on supporting roles. Meanwhile, Rachel Dratch, Jay Chandrasekhar, Moses Storm, E. L. Losada, Josh Ruben, and Bobby Tisdale play smaller roles.
Discussion
The quest to Plan B is one I did not think would hit closer to home. Most especially, the patriarch and its modern-day belief system are so repugnant that it is indeed difficult to find contraception. Of course, nothing drives the plot of the film forward without most men (and some women) messing things up. Just when you think matters are about to make things worse, some characters do come off as understanding and morally good. This is what I found myself liking about the film, that there is some hope for conflicted people out in the world.
Throughout the story, the film tackles themes of blatant racism, some sexual harassment and use of drugs, and primarily the journey to womanhood and sexuality. Writers Prathi Srinivasan and Joshua Levy do well with balancing comedy with drama all the way to the film’s conclusion. Their effort to make the narrative different from movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Booksmart makes for not just an excellent teen comedy-drama, but a great road trip film as well.
Sandra Valdez-Hansen’s cinematography is good and does not try to take the spotlight from other aspects of the movie. To add, the music choices, courtesy of Isabella Manfredi, are interesting and enjoyable. Thanks to her, I now have five new songs to add to my playlist.
Performances and Character Development
Verma and Moroles’ performances as the lead women of color characters were remarkable, and I do not exaggerate with this statement. There is seldom an awkward moment from either of them. Also, I am fond of what both actresses bring to the table. Sunny and Lupe are established as characters who truly relate to the teenage/ high school experience. The former is Indian, while the latter is of Spanish descent. You will not find anyone like these two women in most other films of this genre, with the exception of The Half of It.
Additionally, Provost and Herrold’s respective characters actually hold weight in their supporting roles. The amount of screentime they have is sufficient, and I believe they should have no more and no less to contribute to the story. With these two actors, I felt satisfied with their appearances in the film.
We don’t see a lot of Vargas and Abraham, who play the girls’ respective parents, but I guess that’s alright. After seeing how harsh they can be, you will realize where they are coming from. (If only more parents can be like this.) A more major concern of mine is Cook’s character, Kyle. Srinivasan and Levy wrote him to be such a horrible male character, which was an outstanding job on their end. I did not like him at all and later realized that that is his function in the film. If, of all the girls’ peers, you happened to like this character, then most possibly this review may not be meant for you.
Final Thoughts
Plan B is naturally comfortable with informing teenagers and young adults about their sexual desires. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Morales does an equal (or far better) job at this than, say, American Pie or Superbad. Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg lend a hand in producing this film. These two men have also written and directed for — and are also the creators of — the Harold and Kumar film series. They are also the masterminds behind the theatrical American Pie film, American Reunion, as well as the web series, Cobra Kai. While not necessarily a stoner comedy, Plan B is in other aspects similar to a Harold and Kumar movie in its own right.
Although the film ends the way it does, it made me long for more, as if to serve as a series pilot. A lot of the world, particularly the United States, in this case, is unrelenting in its stance on women’s bodies. By making the narrative authentic to profound extremes, the film’s final scenes strike as emotional and powerful. The blatant racism and sexual harassment are undermined by some stronger force in the scenes in which these take place, allowing the writing to do its thing.
Overall, Plan B is deserving of all the same praises (and more) as its white-led cinematic predecessors of the genre. The film lends a voice to teenagers, women, persons of color, but more importantly, women of color. I wished I had found out about this film sooner.
Go see this film on Hulu starting next Friday, then see it again and again, and tell the world about it!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
