Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Ingrid Goes West tells us a lot about social media, but it tells us even more about our surprising, charming, and next big rom-com star, Mr. O’Shea Jackson Jr.
The indie dark comedy was a huge hit at Sundance earlier this year and expands to movie theaters around the country this weekend. Starring Aubrey Plaza as Ingrid, a gal who gets just a bit too obsessed with an Instagram influencer (Elizabeth Olsen) she follows on the app, the film is a grim look at how close we are, or really want and need to be, to our online pals.
But buried underneath the social media scariness is a romance that rises to the top. O’Shea Jackson Jr. plays Dan, Ingrid’s Batman-obsessed, vaping landlord and eventual boyfriend. And he is a revelation. Perhaps it shouldn’t be such a surprise that the star of Straight Outta Compton, where he delivered a fantastic performance portraying his father Ice Cube, chose an indie dark comedy where he plays a romantic lead as his next film. But it’s one of the best surprises the film industry has seen in years. It wouldn’t have been a shock if he followed in his father’s footsteps, who has spent the last decade playing authority figures known for barking at Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, and barking at Charlie Day, and barking at Kevin Hart. But with Jackson Jr.’s swivel into rom-coms, well, he’s just opened up a brand new avenue for his career.
While he’s got the action crime drama Den of Thieves with Gerard Butler and the Godzilla sequel lined up for 2018 and 2019 respectively, after audiences see Ingird Goes West, he’s going to have the likes of Nancy Meyers knocking at his door. Dan’s one of those rom-com guys that doesn’t give up on the gal he’s got eyes for, even when Ingrid makes him hang out with her fake ass friends and is shifty about the rent. He sees something in her and sticks around, and not just because she indulges him in his bedroom fantasies.
While Jackson Jr. spent most of Straight Outta Compton mean muggin’, he’s incorporated a sly, charming smile into so much of Ingrid Goes West. The role gives him the opportunity for his comedy chops to shine through, and that’s not the only reason you’ll be crushing. Yes, blowing vape smoke out of both nostrils is impressive and sneaky sexy, but it’s the moments where he gets sweet and vulnerable that will have you wanting to do your own Instagram stalking (PS – he’s got a very entertaining Insta account).
While a healthy dose of action star O’Shea Jackson Jr. is headed our way, it’s his future as a romantic leading man that we’re thirsty for, because of the delicious taste of it we got in Ingrid Goes West. Plaza’s blunt yet jittery performance was the perfect place for Jackson Jr’s cool, calm, and cute side to swoop in. He might not be Batman, but he’s the rom-com hero we need.
