THE THREESOME - Mark Reviews Movies

The Threesome, Vertical

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Review by Mark Dujsik | September 4, 2025

As suggested by the title, The Threesome may start as a sex-focused romantic comedy in which a guy has to have sex with two beautiful women at the same time so that he can get closer to one of them. It's tough to feel bad for Connor (Jonah Hauer-King) for a while, in other words, and the screenplay by Ethan Ogilby is smart enough to realize that, along with a lot of other unexpected things.

As soon as the major complication begins, this film, directed by Chad Hartigan, becomes about consequences in a way that feels both, on account of the actual premise, a bit contrived and, because the screenplay treats its characters respectfully and with care, quite real. The story here could have been played as some broad situational comedy, but instead, it's interested in how these characters approach those consequences or, more typically, trying to find some way around them.

It's much harder for the two women to do that, though. Each one becomes pregnant, thanks to Connor, and, for her own reason, decides to have the baby.

All of this happens because Connor has a persistent crush on his friend and former co-worker Olivia (Zoey Deutch). They were employed at the same bar, where she still works, and even though he has moved on to a job as a sound engineer at a recording studio, Connor hasn't gotten over his feelings for Olivia yet. He's sure that he can convince her to go on just one date with him under the right circumstances, but even at the wedding of their mutual friend Greg (Jaboukie Young-White), Olivia bails before Connor can give what he believes will be a very persuasive best-man speech.

The guy keeps trying, though, no matter how many times she turns him down and points out that his efforts are useless. While his friend is making yet another attempt at the bar, Greg points out a young woman sitting alone to Connor. She was stood up for a date, looks like she could use some company, and, even if nothing happens with between her and Connor, might make Olivia just a bit jealous if it looks like the woman is vaguely interested in Connor.

She's Jenny (a quietly beguiling Ruby Cruz), and sure enough, she and Connor hit it off pretty well—well enough, in fact, for Olivia to come over to the table and start verbally poking at Connor in front of Jenny. They drink and chat some more, before heading back to Connor's apartment for more drinks and chatting. Olivia suggests to Connor that the title event could be fun for all of them, and it's not as if he's going to counter that argument.

For a bit, it all seems like a fantasy for Connor. There's the event itself. There's the fact that Jenny seems so cool and understanding about the whole thing, even inviting him into the shower with her the next morning after Olivia leaves. There's the unexpected development that Olivia herself actually does suddenly seem interested in him.

The two start dating and have a lot of fun together. One day, he spots a box for a pregnancy test in the garbage can, and after Olivia confirms she is pregnant and will get a pill so they don't have to worry about it, Connor suggests that maybe they could start and be a family together. She agrees, almost surprising herself with that and everything it means about her feelings for Connor.

Before the real complications even begin, Ogilby has given us two characters, a relationship, and a love story that feel complex and as if they exist outside of any clichés and gimmicks that might be the foundation of a typical sort of romantic comedy. Connor and Olivia aren't just pawns in some will-they-or-won't-they plot but two people figuring out their emotions and this relationship as it goes.

When Jenny shows up at Connor's place with the news that she's also pregnant, then, it is both funny, in that way of destiny or the universe playing a cosmic joke on mere mortals who believe they can tempt fate have everything, and a legitimate problem. She has no plans to terminate the pregnancy, because she raised religious, and while she also doesn't expect anything from Connor, he is not the kind of guy to let go of things easily. He wants to help, and Jenny suggests he could by pretending to be her boyfriend when it comes time to tell her parents.

The filmmakers find the humor here but, notably, do not make jokes of the situation itself or the characters stuck within it. Olivia and Connor's relationship, for example, becomes incredibly complex, because they do love each other, did at one point decide to start a family together, and genuinely don't know what to do about any of that anymore. The film gives them the room and time to talk—really discuss and debate and work through all of this mess. It even allows Connor and Jenny to develop their own bond, based on her worry about her parents (played by Robert Longstreet and Arden Myrin) and his desire to do the right thing, even if he knows he could be doing the opposite—leading on Jenny, while causing even more tension between him and Olivia.

It may start as a gimmick, but the story of The Threesome has much more going on within it. That's only possible because Ogilby, Hartigan, and the cast know that their characters matter more to this story than anything else.

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