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Parents' Guide to

The Argument

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Fast-paced, meta screwball comedy has drinking, sex.

Movie NR 2020 81 minutes
The Argument Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

In THE ARGUMENT, writer Jack (Dan Fogler) decides to throw a cocktail party for his actor girlfriend, Lisa (Emma Bell), to celebrate her role in a new play about Mozart -- and also to propose to her. Jack's agent, Brett (Danny Pudi), arrives with his partner, Sarah (Maggie Q), a cynical lawyer with a photographic memory. Unexpectedly, Lisa's flirty co-star, Paul (Tyler James Williams), also shows up with a date named Trina (Cleopatra Coleman). Bourbon flows, jealousy rages, and things get awkward as Jack and Lisa start arguing about the nature of a comment that Lisa makes. That night, Jack and Lisa decide to invite everyone back to re-create the party and perhaps find out who was right. But it turns out that one party isn't enough.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Not all of the jokes land, and the meta idea of this screwball comedy doesn't entirely hold water, but its breakneck pace and escalating madness are still unexpectedly satisfying. Coming in at just 81 minutes, The Argument covers quite a bit of ground, and, fueled by bourbon and artistic temperaments, it cuts to the emotional center of things quite quickly. There's a great deal of running around, and it could have devolved into a high-pitched drawing-room comedy, but Fogler's shabby, down-to-earth presence keeps things grounded, even as he runs into the kitchen dozens of times to check on a pie that will inevitably end up on the floor.

Likewise, Maggie Q gets the biggest laughs with her icy, snappish line readings, the antithesis of all the looniness around her. On the downside, the idea of why these people would keep returning, night after night, for this crackpot experiment is difficult to buy. Plus, how can an out-of-work writer afford to buy a new $100 bottle of bourbon every night, not to mention the pies and fancy charcuterie platters? Also, the actors who show up for the next level of meta-ness are a bit on the cartoony side. But part of the sly appeal of The Argument is that the characters, and the filmmakers themselves, would even try an idea this unusual, when so many movies barely try at all.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Argument's depiction of alcohol and drinking. Does the comical aspect of it make it less iffy? Is alcohol glamorized? Are consequences shown for overindulging? Why does that matter?

  • How is sex represented here? Is there trust? Commitment? What values are imparted?

  • Can shouting and arguing be considered violence?

  • What does the movie have to say about arguing -- and, eventually, compromise? Do both parties come out better in the end?

  • What does "meta" mean? What happens in this movie that's self-referential? What does it say about the characters or the story?

Movie Details

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