Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Honeymoon’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Left to Right) Asim Chaudhry, Pico Alexander, and Maria Bakalova as Bav, Adam, and Sarah in ‘The Honeymoon’. (Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate.)

Caution: This article contains minor spoilers for the motion picture, ‘The Honeymoon’.
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One particular lesson that few of us enjoy learning in life, is the sheer fact that friendships come and go, and it bothers us for one simple reason. In that, something deep within us understands the power and the gravity of making special connections in life, and how those need to be cherished, and when we lose those unique connections… we hurt… plain and simple. Which is why when we find those friends that become family, we truly do anything we can to hold onto them and include them in so much of our everyday lives. To properly cherish them and what we’ve found, and to bask in the wonder of making a connection on a planet filled with billions of souls. 
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Which makes the concept of the best friend a wonderful one for certain, one that we find little fault with because of the positive nature of that bond. But while it is a wonderful thing to find your Best Friend for Life, or ‘Biffle’ if you will, the importance we put upon ourselves to have that connection can in fact, lead to some unhealthy surprises. Since it can motivate besties to cherish the concept over one another and it can lead to complacency in the Biffleship, which can bring about a touch of toxicity. Which in turn begs the question, how does one avoid those kinds of traps so that one’s relationship with a bestie remains magical and wondrous? Well, it just so happens that a brand-new comedy explores the answer to that question in a wonderful manner in The Honeymoon.

A feat that this story accomplishes by introducing us to a pair of besties named Adam and Bav on Adam’s special day. For he is marrying the love of his life, Sarah, and is elated to have his best friend at his side on this incredible day (despite the mistakes Bav makes during the ceremony) so they can enjoy a great time before the honeymoon gets underway. But a dark day for Bav changes quite a few plans for Sarah and Adam, since the latter is concerned that his brother from another mother might try to harm himself from the gravity of the situation. So, he invites Bav along on their honeymoon, in the hopes he will relax and find joy while Sarah and Adam strengthen their bond. But alas, Bav’s boisterous nature brings forth nothing but awkward moments and trouble, especially when this trio cross the wrong man, named Giorgio. Who just so happens to have eyes for Sarah and is the boss of a drug operation. One that Adam and Bav must help him with, just to survive to see another day.

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(Left to Right) Maria Bakalova and Lucas Bravo as Sarah and Giorgio in ‘The Honeymoon’. (Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate.)

Which is a plot that quite frankly, seems more grounded in a road-trip buddy comedy and crazy shenanigans over a discussion on healthy friendships and in many ways, that would be correct. Because Adam and Bav really do go on quite the wild adventure to keep their impromptu boss happy and that, combined with the wacky nature of their relationship, leads to a lot of laughs in this film. Simply because these two gentlemen are plunged into a perfect fish out of water situation and are forced to act accordingly in situations, they obviously never expected to be a part of. All of which benefits the audience through and through since those sequences really do put a smile on your face and genuinely leave your sides aching with laughter at their responses to the madness they encounter.  
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But make no mistake about it, that deeper theme about healthy relationships is indeed present here and it takes having these characters go to extremes to secure their freedom to bring that forth. Since it forces them to be honest with one another about a great deal of things and to confront their concerns. Because Adam and Bav have put the concept of being besties on a pedestal and allowed for that title and that bond to incorrectly serve as the healing agent for toxic behaviors and poor communication and therein lie the lesson. In that, if we want to have a healthy Biffleship, one that truly endures life changes and grows as we do… we have to be open and honest with our bestie and hear them and address their concerns and make sure that goes both ways. For those are core elements of any healthy relationship and it is wonderful to find that message present within what truly is… a hardcore comedy.
 
But that just speaks to the fact that writer/director Dean Craig wanted this particular story to have more to it than just chuckles and having that depth here really does lead to a satisfying viewing experience. Because the jokes work here, the endearing moments feel genuine and that is aided along by some wonderful acting in this film. For Maria Bakalova (Sarah) offers up a wonderful performance that offers honesty regarding the faults in Adam and Bav’s biffleship and speaking of those characters, Pico Alexander (Adam) and Asim Chaudhry (Bav) are simply wonderful on screen together and offer the perfect balance needed for the comedy in this tale, and they know how to hit all the right emotional notes as well. If anything, all of these elements make this comedy essential viewing. Simply because you cannot go wrong with settling in to enjoy an endearing story that teaches you a valuable lesson while putting a giant smile upon your face.

'The Honeymoon' is in theaters and is on-demand today, December 16th, 2022. ​

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