As relationships in the 21st century become more fluid, elastic and complicated, Hollywood has zeroed in on the fuck buddy concept. 2010 brought the concept in hard and fast with "No Strings Attached" and "Friends With Benefits" and while the Sundance indie “Sleeping With Other People” does sound like a riff on a similar subject, despite being raunchier than both, it’s actually kind of different. Directed and written by Leslye Headland, the writer/director behind the bawdy ladies comedy “Bachelorette,” the movie centers on a good-natured womanizer and a serial cheater who form a platonic relationship that helps reform them in ways, while a mutual attraction sets in. Starring Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis, the film was warmly received at Sundance—read our review— earlier this year and then was swiftly picked up by IFC Films. Here’s the official synopsis:
Years after impulsively losing their virginity to each other in college, Lainey (Alison Brie) and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) meet at a support group in New York (“What’s a nice girl like you doing at a sex addicts meeting?”). A spark resurfaces, but they’ve walked this road before. Abject failures in romance who lead lives of serial infidelity and self-sabotage, they agree to a platonic friendship to mutually support their recovery—and what’s more supportive than teaching your friend proper self-stimulation? Can love bloom while you’re sleeping with other people?
Co-starring Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne and Jason Mantzoukas, our review called the film “refreshingly funny and romantic” which sounds like a winning combination. "Sleeping With Other People" is due in theaters August 21. Watch the first trailer below.
