The Weekend Review: Is the HULU rom-com Worth Watching?

The Weekend is a romantic comedy laced with tart humor produced on a limited budget. While it’s theatrical release generated a small reach, HULU is the best platform for this film to make a mark. A film that relies on its characters, The Weekend, has a warm feel, but it lacks humor.

Stella Meghie returns to helm her third project, which is less impactful than the previous ones.

1. Quick Review

The Weekend has a constant Woody Allen undertone that does little to help the film. From the get-go, it’s clear that Zadie and her ex-boyfriend Bradford have lingering feelings. With predictable twists and turns, the movie follows the well-trodden path of acknowledging feelings and reconciliation.

The humor in The Weekend is flat, and many zingy one-liners do not have the desired effect on the audience. Zadie is a brash no-nonsense kind of girl who rarely filters her thoughts, and her pokes at Brad’s girlfriend are the type of mean humor that you may enjoy or detest.

2. Info & Watch Links

3. Is It Worth Watching?

The weekend is different from a regular rom-com because of the characters at the center of the movie. It starts with Zadie, doing a stand-up set about her failed relationships and her failure to move on. The laughter in the room feels forced, which is true for many of the jokes in the movie.

THE WEEKEND Official Trailer (2019) Comedy Movie HD

I. Plot

We meet our protagonist Zadie, at a comedy club. She and her ex-boyfriend Bradford have decided to be jovial friends and co-exist harmoniously. They have decided to go away for a weekend to a B&B run by Zadie’s mom Karen. Brad decides to bring his new girlfriend Margo along and gets the plot bubbling.

The movie’s initial moments are enough to sense that there are unresolved desires and conflict of emotions between Zadie and Brad. There is immediate hostility between Margo and Zadie, both looking for the same man’s attention.  During their stay, Karen also attacks Margo with barbs about relationships.

When another good-looking bachelor arrives at the resort, he and Zadie immediately hit it off. Aubrey is wholesome, charming, and, most importantly, recently single. While Zadie and Aubrey bond over their failed relationships and mutual; interests, Brad starts getting insecure and jealous.

This creates conflict between him and Margo and proves that his feelings aren’t as resolved as he thought they would be. Confessions, fast-paced romance, and betrayals follow this weekend filled with long strolls, great wine, and constant conversation.

 II. Cast & Characters

The Saturday Night Live veteran Sahsheer Zamata plays Zadie. At one point, she says that she feels like the supporting actress in a rom-com, but Zamata owns the role, and the plot revolves around her. Zadie is outspoken and mean, and uses humor to hide her emotions and underlying feelings.

Her constant jabs at Margo, tormenting and insulting her, make Margo feel sorry rather than having the desired humorous effect. Zadie is comfortable in making everyone else uncomfortable. This aspect of her character makes it difficult for the audience to empathize with her, as Zamata is unable to portray both sides of the coin.

Tone Bell, like Bradford, plays the man caught between two women and confused about his feelings. He is sure about his arrangement with Zadie in the beginning. But, when he sees her with someone else, his true feelings bubble up to the surface.

Kym Whitley’s Margo is the only character that you feel sorry for. Through no fault of her home, she is caught under the barrage of taunts that are hurled her way by the mother and daughter duo of Karen and Zadie. It is immediately made clear that she is unwelcome, and inviting her was Bradford’s idea.

4. Grade

5. Final Thoughts

For a movie operating under the tag of ‘comedy,’ the laughs in The Weekend are few and far between. Inher first mainstream venture, Sahsheer Zamata is unable to carry the film to great heights but manages to portray a different side of the black female identity. It is a predictable movie that is not the most entertaining but makes for a good night-in.