For a Good Time, Call ... | Screen | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper

For a Good Time, Call ...

A rom-com of sorts about two women who starts a phone-sex line

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Phone sex is the focus of this comedy, directed by Jamie Travis. In an Odd Couple set-up, two mismatched gals — the well-mannered Lauren (Lauren Miller) and the free-spirited Katie (Ari Graynor) — wind up sharing a pricy Manhattan apartment. Katie already works for a phone-sex company, but Lauren figures out the real profits are in running a line. So, the gals get their own 900 number, and they're off and talking dirty on matching pink phones! (The film is quite naturally rated R, for its very colorful language.)

A Good Time is something of a new genre, either a bromance for girls or a rom-com, but with friends. (Lauren and Katie's relationship hits every mile marker along the rom-com highway — from their disastrous first meeting and burgeoning relationship, to the misunderstanding that separates them and the literal mad dash toward resolution.) It wants to be sweet and raunchy — and it mostly succeeds — and there are some laughs. Justin Long plays the girls' gay pal with a lot of enthusiasm for the expected shrieking and gasping, and Seth Rogen and Kevin Smith have funny cameos as callers.

It's just not as fresh as you wish it could be, and the material (even with a couple of wispy boyfriend subplots) doesn't feel substantial enough to round out the full 90 minutes. But if you want to see a couple of cute girls talk dirty, and have fun doing it, then you could do worse than putting this on your date-night list.