This eight-minute gem of a short by Canadian producer/writer/director Jason Reitman, tells the story of how two young people carefully negotiate the terms of their first sexual encounter.
Consent brilliantly encapsulates the best comedic aspects and plays up the ‘worst’ exaggerations of the full length rom com, using the hilarious ‘sex contract’ bedroom scene as a microcosm of the compromise couples go through in all budding relationships.
By concentrating on a simple sex scene, Reitman is able to very quickly portray what is often stretched out and over indulged in a standard romantic feature.
At their most annoying, the courtship phase in an ordinary rom com can become tiresome and clichéd. In Consent it has essentially already happened. Hollywood rom coms are also not known for their subtle and intelligent humor. In this film, the marriage of a concise and witty script, and a group of skilled actors, means that the humor and the ending twist, really get a chance to take center stage. It’s funny, sweet, enjoyable, light, and has bite. All the things I enjoy most about the best in the genre.
In just eight minutes there is nowhere to hide corny, and Consent is a masterful illustration of a romantic comedy at its most succinct.
3 responses so far ↓
elizabeth griffin // Sep 25th 2012 at 10:37 pm
ah, a contract for a love relationship. Reminds me of Korean dramas. In Korean dramas there is always a contract between characters who marry for convenience. Consent sounds really interesting to me now.
ra125058 // Sep 26th 2012 at 1:07 pm
During the eight minutes of watching this short, the only thing I done is nonstop laughing. It is not only a perfect romance comedy, but a hilarious short I watched after a long time. And now I think contract is really important in a sexual encounter (lol).
Jesse Lee // Oct 7th 2012 at 9:48 pm
This was very cleverly put together while still having a comedic feel to it. I loved how the lawyers were their conscious’s and the detail of each process the director took. I wonder if this was a jab at how these encounters start or just a unique perspective.
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