‘Banana Split’ Is a Delicious Teen Comedy About Two Girls Who Choose Friendship Over Dylan Sprouse

The movie Banana Split—which is now available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Vudu and more—is the perfect weekend watch to keep the pandemic blues at bay. And I say this knowing that Call of the Wild starring Harrison Ford is now available on video on demand, and knowing that the call of Han Solo acting with a CGI dog is almost as strong as the call Jack London was talking about in his 1903 novel. But despite the wealth of options of movies on VOD this weekend, you won’t regret turning your attention to Banana Split, a charming teen comedy that offers a new take on a classic rom-com trope.

April (Hannah Marks) is your average, socially awkward, emo-leaning teenager, who spends her last two years of high school in a serious relationship with her charming-but-ultimately-fuck-boy boyfriend (Dylan Sprouse, an inspired casting choice). We watch their relationship unfold and deteriorate in a matter of minutes. By the time graduation rolls around, April is single and heartbroken. To make matters worse, she sees on Instagram that her ex, Nick, now has a new girlfriend—some girl named Clara (Liana Liberato). April hates Clara, of course. At least, she hates her until she runs into Clara at a party, it turns out that Clara is really cool and nice and funny.

Suddenly, April finds herself not just friends with Clara, but best friends. The girls agree on some rules: Don’t talk about Nick, and definitely don’t tell Nick. Despite warnings from Nick’s exasperated best friend Ben (Luke Spencer Roberts), who they let in on the secret, the girls don’t see a problem with their plan. And for a few glorious weeks, there is no problem. They fall into that fast, intense, whirlwind of friendship that anyone who was ever a teenage girl will recognize instantly. But jealously and lingering feelings complicate everything in the end.

Given my enormous to-watch list as a film reporter, I often find myself watching movies in intervals—pausing to write articles, check Twitter, and watching more pressing movies in between. But I gobbled up Banana Split in one-sitting. The performances are all spot on, from Mark’s awkward yearning; to Liberato’s magnetic charisma; to Sprouse’s clueless, unintentional cruelty. And there was just something so deliciously compelling about these teens and their self-contained drama. A slushie to the face in a movie theater lobby has absolutely nothing to do with anything going on in the outside world, and yet to these young characters, it’s an apocalyptic event. No matter how far away you are from that self-absorbed phase in your life, you’ll be transported back like it was yesterday.

Banana Split‘s authenticity can no doubt be attributed in part to Marks, who not only stars in the film as April, but also co-wrote the script with Joey Power. At 26, this is already her second feature film as a writer, the first being the critically-praised 2018 comedy, After Everything, which she also directed. Banana Split, which first premiered at Los Angeles Film Fest back in 2018, is the directorial debut for cinematographer Benjamin Kasulke, and he clearly knows how to make a film beautiful. The colors are all pastel blues and pinks, giving the modern film that nostalgic coming-of-age feel. My only complaint? The script tries a little too hard to convince the audience there’s nothing romantic going on between these two best friends, despite the obvious chemistry between the leads. It would have been nice to leave that open for interpretation, even if that wasn’t the direction the movie was going in.

Ah, well. That’s a plot for another teen romance. In the meantime, Banana Split is as refreshing, sweet, and enjoyable as the dessert that it’s winkingly named for. (The banana is his penis.) So do yourself a favor, and queue up this tasty treat.

Where to watch Banana Spilt