Okay.

So…how to review The Drama without spoiling the drama of The Drama?

…

It’s a really good film and you should go and see it.

The end. You’re welcome.

Alright fine, some detail, but this is a spoiler-free zone so if I’m vague and cryptic you really should just go and see the film for yourself (it’s a really good film).

Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) are about to get married. Imminently. Under the gentle(ish) cajoling of their friends Rachel (Alana Haim) and Mike (Mamoudou Athie) they – drunkenly – participate in the not-really-a-party-game game of Share the Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done. Mike’s is a little weak-sauce, Rachel’s is…interesting, Charlie’s is clearly a lie and Emma’s is…well, dramatic.

Yes, Emma reveals her deepest, darkest (and it’s dark) secret to the group and is met with awkward laughter, shock, confusion, more laughter, disgust, more confusion and well, yeah, it doesn’t really go down well.

Without spoiling – because this film really works best if you go in blind – Emma’s revelation causes Charlie to revaluate everything he thought he knew about the love of his life, and with their impending nuptials looming, he doesn’t really have the time to come to terms with what he’s learnt.

Things spiral from here. Plot-wise this is about as far as I can go but there’s more than just a tight and reasonably unique storyline here that makes The Drama really work. The cast is spot on. Pattinson plays Brit-in-America Charlie with an almost old-school Hugh Grant charm – bumbling, slightly awkward, unintentionally comedic – which is both charming and, as the story progresses, slightly annoying as his passiveness and desire to never rock the boat become more apparent. Then there’s Zendaya who’s great in the role of Emma. Sweet, adorable but with an obvious edge – despite her charm, there’s always a slightly unnerving aura around her, something exacerbated by her (very American (that’s the only clue I’ll give you)) secret. Pattinson and Zendaya have great chemistry together which really helps sell that they are a couple who are and have been in love for a long time and that the weight of Emma’s revelation is genuinely crushing their relationship.

But the MVP has to be Alana Haim. As Charlie and Emma’s friend and maid of honour, Rachel, Haim is placed in an unusual role. Because, despite the dreadfulness of Emma’s revelation, Charlie naturally wants to continue to see the good in her, find excuses for her and ‘move forward’. Rachel has less skin in the game, she’s not about to marry Emma and she never strays away from letting the couple know exactly how disgusted she is by Emma’s secret and Charlie’s blind eye. Haim expertly juggles being both instigator and antagonist, bringing such a real and grounded performance that many viewers will be able to recognise her character’s sanctimonious and gaslight-y attitude from a mile away.

Beyond the cast and plot The Drama has something of a modern classic feel to it. Star-studded cast, darkly comedic script (some of the flashback scenes in this movie are genuine laugh-out-loud moments that instantly make you feel horrendous for laughing given the subject matter), slick production value and direction. In fact, The Drama walks around dressed like a classic rom-com: Charlie and Emma’s lavish apartment is akin to Bridget Jones’s gaff – unattainable, unrealistic and unimaginably perfect; the 80s inspired soundtrack; the Four Weddings and a Funeral-esque promotional images – there’s a lot to enjoy.

But I really can’t say too much else.

In conclusion…it’s a really good film.

You should go and see it.