Plan B | Review
Plan B is the type of movie I wish there were more of. It’s a raunchy teen comedy, and while there’s plenty of movies out there that fit the bill, they’re usually male-dominated. This film is notable because it centers on two girls and because it has real-world stakes. It’s a road trip movie where its characters are simply trying to access basic healthcare, a depressing reminder that this country is oppressively barbaric when it comes to sexual health. And it allows girls to be funny, raunchy, and sex-positive.
Lupe (Victoria Moroles) and Sunny (Kuhoo Verma)
Kuhoo Verma (The Big Sick) and Victoria Moroles (Teen Wolf) star as two teenage best friends, Sunny and Lupe, respectively. The former is the lone and sheltered child to a tiger mom who dresses like an American Doll and masturbates to anatomy textbooks. The latter is the rebellious elder child to her pastor father, and who seemingly has more experience when it comes to sex. When her mom leaves town for the weekend, Sunny throws a party and ends up having the most unromantic first sex ever. The next morning, after peeing out the condom from the night before, Sunny seeks out a morning after pill, but it’s easier said than done. When Sunny and Lupe visit a local pharmacy in their state of South Dakota, they’re denied by the pharmacist because they’re under 18 and it goes against his moral beliefs, which he’s legally allowed to do thanks to real-life “Conscious Clause” laws. The two are forced to drive to the closest Planned Parenthood, which is nearly three hours away in Rapid City.
Plan B follows the typical raunchy teen comedy formula where various mayhem and hijinks ensue, nudity is involved (it has the most shocking and funny full frontal nudity scene I’ve seen in perhaps forever), and its main characters fight, break up, and make up. It doesn’t matter how familiar these story beats are because the film is such a joy. While it’s not particularly hilarious, it does have its funny moments, and the film is really sweet. Actor-turned-director Natalie Morales (Parks and Recreation) understands the importance of strong character dynamics for the success of a story like this, and the chemistry between Verma and Moroles is undeniable; they truly feel like best friends with a lived history.
Lupe (Victoria Moroles) and Sunny (Kuhoo Verma)
Written by Prathi Srinivasan (Titans) and Joshua Levy (iZombie), based on their own experiences growing up in Plano, TX, where sex ed was focused on abstinence, the film never feels didactic, despite its serious subject matter. It gets its point across—that this country makes it extremely hard to practice safe sex—without coming across as preachy, and without forgetting to be funny and sweet. It’s refreshing to see a story set in the Midwest instead of a coastal state, a reminder of where some of the most sexually restrictive laws are set. It stars Indian American and Mexican American actors, a reminder that comedies needn’t star just white people. And by the end it subverts the stereotypical depictions of Indian American and religious parents.
Plan B follows films like Booksmart (which I loved) and Blockers (which I haven’t seen yet), mainstream comedies that allow girls to be just as funny and raunchy as the boys. Its earnestness, dramatic weight, and sex positivity makes it an important and worthwhile film to recommend. Let’s hope it’s not the last of its kind.