The Layover (VERIFIED - 2024)

Let’s be honest: when you hear “William H. Macy directs a comedy about two best friends fighting over a guy during a flight delay,” you expect a certain indie-quirky sweetness. You expect Bridesmaids -lite. You get exactly none of that.

Kate Upton and Alexandra Daddario play Meg and Kate (yes, the actress playing Kate is named Kate—try to keep up), lifelong besties whose friendship instantly dissolves when a handsome, bland stranger (Matt Barr) boards their diverted flight to Portland. Stranded in a motel, they wage psychological warfare over him, escalating from petty sabotage to near-criminal acts. The Layover

Here’s what most critics missed: The Layover is a deconstruction of the rom-com, not a failed attempt at one. Macy, famous for his morally bankrupt Shameless character, directs this like a horror film. The lighting is flat and ugly. The "romantic lead" is a vacant slab of beef with zero personality. And the two leads? They aren't plucky heroines; they're monsters. Let’s be honest: when you hear “William H

Your next flight delay could always be worse. You could be these people. You get exactly none of that

★★½ (Two and a half stars: A glorious disaster that fails spectacularly on purpose. Maybe.)

The Layover is not a good movie. It’s often cringe-inducing, tonally confused, and populated by characters who seem to have wandered in from a much darker, more cynical film. And yet… I kind of admired its nihilistic guts.