Review: Premature

John Karna plays high schooler Rob, who endures a very, very bad day that never seems to end. For starters, the day begins with his mother walking in on him after having a wet dream. Then it’s off to school and an interview with a perspective college (represented by Alan Tudyk), which goes horribly bad when he exacerbates the college interviewer’s depression over a break-up. You’d think an after school ‘study session’ with a clearly keen (and possibly nympho) blonde classmate (Carlson Young) would end the day well, but…that’s when things get weird. Really weird. As in, Rob prematurely ejaculates at the slightest touch of his leg, and all of a sudden he wakes up the next day in bed. Only it’s not the next day, as mum walks in on his post-wet dream visage, and before long Rob realises that the same awful day is repeating itself. But why? His best friends Stanley (Craig Roberts) and Gabrielle (Katie Findlay) are concerned, but try to be as supportive as possible, as Rob tries to find a way out of reliving the same day over and over and waking up in a pile of jizz. Hilarity (surprisingly) ensues.

 

If ever my word/opinion had cache, I’m about to lose every bit of it, because I’m somewhat ashamed to be giving a recommendation to this silly, crude 2014 teen comedy from debut director Dan Beers and co-writer Mathew Harawitz (writer for Craig Kilborn’s late night talk show). It doesn’t begin well, and even then I kinda get annoyed with movie characters who pursue a supposedly hot chick whilst ignoring their even hotter female best friend. John Karna is also rather bland and unmemorable in the all-important lead role. Some will also repel at the thought of a movie that is essentially “Groundhog Day” but with Sonny & Cher replaced by premature ejaculation. However, the laughs and cleverness do indeed arrive and the film actually ends up satisfying. Also, as hot as Olivia Cooke-lookalike Katie Findlay is (and she’s absolutely gorgeous and a fine actress too), it has to be said that Carlson Young is at least hot enough as well, that it’s not that annoying to see our protagonist not be aware of what he already has in his life.

 

The point at which the laughs do actually start to arrive is pretty easy to pinpoint: Alan Tudyk. Playing an extremely depressed college application interviewer having a very bad day, he’s a hoot. Meanwhile, the basic plot being replayed over and over may not be as interesting as Phil Connor’s bad day in “Groundhog Day”, but the key is in the variations. In this case, the variations are actually pretty hilarious, in a crude, stupid way.

 

I did start to question the logic a bit, which may not be advisable in a sex comedy, but still one thing bugged me: Can’t Karna just get through one whole day without his penis exploding? So, obviously this isn’t on the same level as “Groundhog Day”, as it’s not as deep or moral-based (Nor is it the equal of “Revenge of the Nerds”, “The Last American Virgin”, or “American Pie”). But funny is funny, and I’m ashamed to admit I did laugh pretty consistently in this. Karna feeling his teacher’s tits randomly is hilariously audacious, for instance. Hey, if you’re just gonna wake up tomorrow like it’s today, why the fuck not cop a feel? Yeah, I’ve gotta stop typing every thought that comes into my head. A subsequent scene where he punches an aggressive female student was far less amusing to me, however. I’m not even sure I can justify the difference, mind you, so perhaps you’ll find that scene hilarious. Craig Roberts is mostly unfunny as the sleazy best friend, but he does get the funniest scene in the entire film where he tries his best to help his friend in need. It’s all kinds of awkward and hysterically funny, so long as you realise the scene is intentionally basement-level in its humour (That’s because the character in question is no help at all, try as he might). And even though I could see an obvious way out of this poor guy’s predi…er, his situation, I still found amusement in the fact that in order to get out of a jam he could just have a wank and wake up and try again.

 

So it may be a slow starter, but once this one gets going it’s juvenile fun (which is why I won’t spoil more of the funny moments for you). John Karna is a bit charisma-deprived in the lead and it starts out horribly, I can’t deny. I’m beyond sick of the “Shaun of the Dead” rapid editing (or hip-hop montage as it is sometimes known), as well. That shit drives me nuts, and always has to be honest, though I do understand its use in time-saving here. However, as it slowly reveals itself to be “Groundhog Day” meets “American Pie” the laughs actually start to emerge. This one might just sneak up on you, it certainly did for me. It’s silly, but it’s a little more than just “Groundhog Day” with jizz, I promise.

 

Rating: B-