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Parenting teenagers can definitely be a challenge—even in the best of conditions. But in They/Them/Us, a single dad throws in an angry ex, a newly blended family with two more teens, and a new girlfriend with plenty of her own kinks to make his situation even more complicated and chaotic.
They/Them/Us struggles to juggle parenting and relationships with Charlie Goldman (Joey Slotnick), a divorced dad with two teenage kids and a bitter, resentful ex-wife. Through an online dating site, he meets artist Lisa Harper (Amy Hargreaves), a single mom with two teenagers of her own, who’s happily playing the field and steering clear of commitment. But when she meets the awkward, neurotic, uptight film professor, she changes her rules—and, before long, she’s moving into Charlie’s house, blending their two families into one messy new one. And, together, they work to make their relationship—and their new family—work.
This new family definitely isn’t without its share of challenges—from Charlie’s son, Danny (Jack Steiner), who keeps sneaking drugs into the house, to Lisa’s non-binary teen, Maddie (Lexie Bean), whose pronouns make everyone act ridiculous. And, through it all, while Lisa is totally laid back, Charlie freaks out about everything, obsessing about his list of guilt, which includes everything from his divorce to puppy mills.
While the family dynamics are challenging enough—with the potential for plenty of comedy and drama—the film puts more of its focus on Charlie’s concern that he can’t keep up with Lisa’s kinks. And while he spends time visiting stores and watching how-to videos online (and accidentally showing them to his film class at an evangelical college), he fails to notice the problems brewing with his kids.
Though the mishaps give the film a few laugh-out-loud moments, it’s mostly just awkward. The relationship definitely feels rushed—quickly moving from “I don’t do commitment” to “well, my lease is month-to-month anyway”—which leads to the couple working through those early-relationship issues while already living together and trying to manage a house full of angry teenagers. Without the added focus on Charlie’s attempts to be wilder for Lisa, it may have had the time to develop more naturally. Instead, it feels rushed and distracted.
The blended-family story of They/Them/Us promises a whole lot of family drama and laughs. But it spends more time focusing on the awkwardness of this too-new couple—and that detracts from the family antics.
They/Them/Us opens in limited theaters on January 28, 2022—or stream it starting on February 1, 2022.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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