The Drama is quite the drama, all right. It’s been a while since a movie has been so heavily marketed a certain way, only to go in a completely different direction by the middle of the movie. The unconventional nature of this rom-com ends up being both a strength and a weakness, resulting in a flawed, yet entertaining film that will leave you thinking about it for quite some time.
The Drama, directed and written by Kristoffer Borgli, stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as couple Emma and Charlie. Emma and Charlie meet at a café, and two years later they are engaged. During the week of the wedding, they go out with their maid of honor, Rachel, and best man, Mike, for drinks. While talking, Emma makes a shocking revelation that makes Charlie question whether he really knows her and if he wants to marry her.
As with practically every rom-com, the film rests heavily on the chemistry between the two leads, and both Zendaya and Pattinson deliver here. Their chemistry feels natural and unforced, and it results in the viewer being able to buy into Emma and Charlie’s relationship. It makes Emma’s sudden revelation more impactful too. This twist is sort of the film’s superpower because it is a catalyst in the plot while also being what makes the film unique to a certain extent. It’s definitely a good thing in that sense.
Where the movie suffers a bit is in regard to the timing of the twist. It’s revealed around the half-hour mark, which I think was too soon. What ends up happening is two things. First, it minimizes the impact of Emma’s revelation a bit. While it is still impactful to an extent, it would’ve been even more so if the film took more time building up to it. The second thing that ends up happening is that, because the reveal happens so early, Charlie spends so much time dwelling on it that the film ends up becoming very repetitive. It’s almost like the filmmakers didn’t know what else to do with the remaining runtime, so they re-hash the same thing over and over again and it eventually gets tiresome. Perhaps a better script could have avoided this, but unfortunately that’s not the case here.
Despite being repetitive, The Drama does remain interesting and entertaining. There is a good amount of comedy sprinkled in, and the film is pretty thoughtful overall. Many might find themselves in Charlie’s situation (though not quite to that extent), asking if they truly know their partner, or having doubts leading up to a wedding. In the extremeness of The Drama, there is some relatability and thoughtfulness in regard to dealing with the potential anxiety of marriage and commitment to someone you may not think you truly know.
Overall, The Drama is a decent but flawed rom-com. It does some things right, namely the chemistry between the leads, but its repetitive nature will lead to some viewers feeling exhausted after a while. That being said, the film is still good and entertaining enough to be an enjoyable time at the theaters.
Rating: 3.5/5
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