‘The Threesome’ Review – A Surprisingly Subversive Romantic Comedy

The Threesome, from director Chad Hartigan, follows Connor (Jonah Hauer-King), a sound engineer, as he navigates a couple of complicated relationships. He’s pined after his friend Oliva (Zoey Deutch) for a while after working together at the same restaurant. One night, he starts talking to another girl, Jenny (Ruby Cruz), who’s been stood up on a date to make Olivia jealous. After the restaurant closes, the three of them go out and party together and wind up having a threesome. Sounds like a dream, right? 

After this magical evening, all three of them are faced with tough consequences that they must learn to take ownership of. You’d think the titular threesome would wind up being the crux of the film’s plot, but it winds up being the catalyst for the rest of a surprisingly smart and deep story. The main trio has great chemistry together, especially Hauer-King and Deutch. Olivia’s quick-witted dialogue and sarcasm play perfectly against Connor’s earnestness and Jenny’s naivety, leading to both electric and painstaking scenes.

The film’s theme of responsibility really resonated with me and is likely to hit home for anyone feeling unprepared for something in life. It’s rare that we come into a new job, a new relationship, or any new phase of life feeling prepared to take it on. There’s nervousness and a sense of not wanting to fail that holds us back from even trying new things. This is what’s kept Olivia and Connor apart for so long before the events of the movie, and continues to plague them as the story progresses. 

Ethan Ogilby’s script is smart and hilarious, subverting audience expectations at several turns, especially in the first act. There are a handful of safer ways this story could have gone, but Ogilby takes it somewhere brave and interesting that makes The Threesome stand out among other romantic comedies from the 2020s. It speaks to the film’s uniqueness that it’s hard to discuss without spoiling too much. It’s not as formulaic or clichéd as many other films from this genre have been lately. 

Deutch is especially equipped for this script, having a reputation for swift, biting dialogue in films like Not Okay (2022) and Buffaloed (2019). Hauer-King is also excellent, having much more to do here than he did in I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) earlier this year. In that film, he is the token mysterious boy who doesn’t have much to say, but here he gets to take the reins and deliver some powerful moments. He has this soft face that makes it so easy to empathize with him, even when he makes a questionable choice. Of the three leads, Cruz gets the least amount of time to shine, but she makes the most of it. 

The Threesome’s pacing is excellent early on, smartly moving the story along quickly so the second and third acts have more time to breathe, especially during emotionally charged conversations. Each character receives a proper introduction that tells us all we need to know to get things moving. At 112 minutes, the film manages not to feel rushed without overstaying its welcome. It masterfully weaves character development into exciting and heartfelt sequences. 

Overall, The Threesome is a smart romantic comedy that subverts expectations and brings out amazing performances from its core trio. Hartigan’s direction takes an outstanding script and puts all the pieces together to make a strong impression in the romantic comedy space. All involved here, especially Deutch and Hauer-King, are important people to watch in the coming years and have a bright future ahead of them.

The Threesome is showing now in theaters, courtesy of Vertical.