I know the word fuck is in the title, but that’s not going to stop me from nerding out.
Narrative tension, which provokes interest, comes from not knowing how things will work out, what insight the protagonist might gain. Watching The Guys I F*cked, I was so far ahead of our hero that I was bored.
In Centenie Narusis’s script, an engaged couple, Christine and Noah, seek a therapist’s help because Noah wants to know more about his betrothed. When the therapist conveniently and unrealistically takes a pee break about three minutes into their session, Christine tells Noah about all the men she’s had sex with and, with the help of the same performer who plays the therapist, she acts those stories out.
Almost every one of Christine’s sexual and romantic partners treats her very badly and she goes along with it, so it’s no great reward when, after far too much stage time, she finally realizes that she needed to grow a spine.
On the upside, Megan Philips delivers a crisp, well-timed performance as Christine, and Kwasi Thomas is very funny and responsive as Noah. Hans Potter could be doing a better job of differentiating his many characters; as things stand, a lot of them look like standard-issue bros.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kurt Firla and Brooke Redelle
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