Here’s what most critics missed: The Layover is a deconstruction of the rom-com, not a failed attempt at one. Macy, famous for his morally bankrupt Shameless character, directs this like a horror film. The lighting is flat and ugly. The "romantic lead" is a vacant slab of beef with zero personality. And the two leads? They aren't plucky heroines; they're monsters.
The Layover is not a good movie. It’s often cringe-inducing, tonally confused, and populated by characters who seem to have wandered in from a much darker, more cynical film. And yet… I kind of admired its nihilistic guts. The Layover
Let’s be honest: when you hear “William H. Macy directs a comedy about two best friends fighting over a guy during a flight delay,” you expect a certain indie-quirky sweetness. You expect Bridesmaids -lite. You get exactly none of that. Here’s what most critics missed: The Layover is
Kate Upton and Alexandra Daddario play Meg and Kate (yes, the actress playing Kate is named Kate—try to keep up), lifelong besties whose friendship instantly dissolves when a handsome, bland stranger (Matt Barr) boards their diverted flight to Portland. Stranded in a motel, they wage psychological warfare over him, escalating from petty sabotage to near-criminal acts. The "romantic lead" is a vacant slab of
Your next flight delay could always be worse. You could be these people.
Upton’s character literally roofies Daddario’s character. Daddario’s character fakes a miscarriage. By the midpoint, you’re not rooting for anyone to get the guy—you’re rooting for the guy to get on a plane and leave them both to their festering toxicity. That discomfort? That’s the film’s secret weapon. It’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for the People magazine crowd.
★★½ (Two and a half stars: A glorious disaster that fails spectacularly on purpose. Maybe.)
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