A Reluctant Maid of Honor, a Woodsy Wedding, and All the Awkwardness
“If you bang my brother, I will never forgive you!”
Boom. That's your first clue that Jess Plus None isn't your typical rom-com. The newly released trailer for Mandy Fabian's feature debut throws us headfirst into a chaotic, off-the-grid wedding where Jess (Abby Miller) must confront her ex-girlfriend, her too-successful college friends, and every questionable life choice she's ever made.
Screwball comedies—think Bringing Up Baby or His Girl Friday—thrived on rapid-fire dialogue, absurd situations, and characters who were one bad decision away from total disaster. But in 2025? The genre's been buried under a mountain of superhero flicks and self-serious dramas. Jess Plus None digs it up, dusts it off, and gives it a millennial, queer makeover.
Why This Works (And Why It Might Not)
The trailer nails the genre's essence:
✅ Cringe-as-comedy – Jess's discomfort is palpable, from forced smiles to panicked side-eyes.
✅ Zany supporting cast – Matt Walsh as… someone's dad? Rory O'Malley as the gay best friend with opinions? Perfect.
✅ A relatable mess – Jess isn't aspirational. She's just trying to survive this disaster.
But here's the catch: indie comedies like this live or die by their script. If the jokes land, it's a cult hit. If they don't? Jess Plus None risks becoming another forgettable VOD flick.
The Bigger Trend: Queer Stories in Unexpected Genres
Jess Plus None isn't a coming-out story or a tragic LGBTQ+ drama. It's a screwball farce where the protagonist just happens to be gay—and that's refreshing. Recent films like Bottoms and Theater Camp prove there's an appetite for queer stories that don't revolve around trauma.
But let's be real: Hollywood still struggles with this. For every Bottoms, there are a dozen Love, Simon clones. Jess Plus None could either push the needle or fade into obscurity.
Watch or Skip?
If you love:
✔ Awkward humor
✔ Indie charm
✔ Weddings where everything goes wrong
…then Jess Plus None might be your next guilty pleasure. But if you need polished, big-budget comedy? Maybe wait for Deadpool 3.
Will you give it a shot—or is this a hard pass? Sound off below.
I wouldn’t say this is a screwball comedy. It feels much more like a modern romcom overlaid with sentimentality rather than a fast-paced dialogue-driven screwball. The quintessential ones, such as His Girl Friday and The Lady Eve, all rely on farcical situations and a healthy dosage of slapstick; they’re rife with pratfalls and stew in their absurdity, feeling a complete step off from reality. Any soap operatic moments are blown over by the plot-driven madness. Yes, modern romcoms have taken and repurposed elements of a classic screwball, but there are hardly any these days that are faithful to its name. The closest homage to this genre is Bogdanovich’s What’s Up Doc.