Megan (Analeigh Tipton) is a beautiful young woman troubled by her own singularity. She hates being single and fears she is seeing the best years of her love-life rush by her and can do nothing but passively watch them dissolve before her eyes. Catering to her desperation, she creates an account on a website dedicated to matching singles up with one another and connects with Alec (Miles Teller). The two meet and wind up having great sex together, with Megan presuming she can just leave as soon as she wakes up the next morning. This method of avoiding anything in the way of romantic feelings, however, is prevented given a huge blizzard is taking place outside, making travel of any kind next to impossible. Megan is forced to reside at Alec's until further notice, making for an ostensibly awkward but thoroughly revealing evening as the two talk about past relationships, critique each others sexual practices, and spend time nosily prying into the lives of one another.
The premise for Max Nichols' Two Night Stand is made slightly more original given the fact that the idea of millennial relationships is a fairly topical, sociological talking point at the moment. I just recently saw an article stating that numerous young people don't even know the status of their own relationships, as the modern world has populated so much of romanticism with casual hookups, "hangouts," and acts of "seeing" people with little or no commitment involved. The characters, the structure, and the ending of Two Night Stand, however, make the film something of another romantic comedy, but exploring a reasonably believable scenario about failing to have your cake and eat it too. They thought they were getting carefree sex without any kind of personal relations to follow...what they got was a window to themselves from a complete stranger.
Two Night Stand's commitment to perfunctory plot-points (including a pretty senseless ending) are saved by screenwriter Mark Hammer's reliance on conversation in the film, and, most importantly, the performances of Tipton and Teller, two young actors to watch in the coming years, with Teller being the more prominent one. Starting out finding his footing in amoral comedies like 21 & Over and Project X, Teller has grown into a seriously likable and human screen-presence, inhabiting the role of the cocky yet vulnerable young adult, determined, but somewhat directionless, and friendly, but also contemptible at times. His versatility is the glue holding Two Night Stand together when lengthy conversations between the two parties take place, resulting in pleasantly lyrical discussions about topics that are finally starting to find themselves more prominent in film.
Sex is not an uncommon thing to see in films anymore; the discussion of sex, romance, love, and marriage from the perspective of the people who most often engage in it - teenagers and young adults - are a bit harder to find. Two Night Stand finds itself released and promoted around the same time as #Stuck, another film about an extended hookup that results in the male driving the female home and both of them getting stuck in a record-breaking traffic jam. The evasion of feelings and any form of commitment is something that we can see in films with millennial characters, and when they finally are forced to tackle it is when we have an intriguing film on our hands.
As I said before, Two Night Stand is burdened by an ending all too conventional and a structure far too similar. However, the recommendation in this case is for you to see two talents, who will soon find themselves in roles with more potential and possible accolades to affirm that, tackle material, as of now, rarely committed to film. It's a treat to watch Tipton and Teller interact with one another, and an even greater one to know the best is yet to come for both of these young actors.
Starring: Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton. Directed by: Max Nichols.
