That Awkward Moment (2014)
Directed by Tom Gormican
No — That Awkward Moment is not woke, scoring 5 out of 100 on our wokeness meter.
Here is a film with no argument to make, which in 2014 counted as a business model.
Consciousness Markers
Michael B. Jordan appears as a lead in a mainstream 2014 rom-com, which is mildly notable, but his character exists naturally with no commentary on race or casting intent.
A bromance built on a pact to avoid commitment, in which women are largely treated as flings and obstacles; the film was widely criticized for its regressive gender politics rather than praised for any feminist sensibility.
No LGBTQ+ characters, themes, or subtext of any kind.
No engagement with racial themes or consciousness; the diverse casting is incidental and unremarked upon.
No environmental or climate content whatsoever.
No economic critique; the characters work at a publishing house and the film has no interest in class or capitalism.
No body positivity themes; the film trades in conventional romantic-comedy attractiveness standards.
No neurodivergent characters or themes.
No historical subject matter to revise.
A raunchy, apolitical studio comedy with no didactic or preachy messaging.
Why it received this score
Here is a film with no argument to make, which in 2014 counted as a business model. Three friends in New York, a publishing house, a pact sworn over drinks: stay single, stay unencumbered, lie to each other when the plan collapses. The premise is raunchy and the resolution is a bench in Gramercy Park. Between those two points, nothing is proposed about the world, the economy, the climate, or the arrangement of power. The cultural inventory comes back empty, and the emptiness has a certain purity to it.
The one item worth logging is Michael B. Jordan, cast as a lead in a mainstream romantic comedy at a time when that was not the default. The film never remarks on it. His character is a doctor with a failing marriage, and the movie treats his presence as unremarkable, which is either progress or simply the absence of a thought. Elsewhere, the gender politics are retrograde enough that critics at the time filed complaints. Women arrive as flings, obstacles, or rewards. A feminist reading is not available here. Neither is any other reading, which spares us the sermonizing that the genre would later acquire.
So we are left with a comedy that wants the vulgarity of The Hangover and the ache of a Cameron Crowe picture, and secures neither. Zac Efron removes his shirt. Miles Teller does the heavy lifting. A taxi does the rest. It is a minor, forgettable artifact, and its chief historical value may be as a specimen: a studio comedy from a moment when a movie could be about three men and nothing else at all.
Analysis generated by our Consciousness Algorithm
Synopsis
Best pals Jason and Daniel indulge in casual flings and revel in their carefree, unattached lives. After learning that the marriage of their friend Mikey is over, they gladly welcome him back into their circle. The three young men make a pact to have fun and avoid commitment. However, when all three find themselves involved in serious relationships, they must keep their romances secret from one another.
Questions about That Awkward Moment
Is That Awkward Moment woke?
No — That Awkward Moment is not woke, scoring 5 out of 100 on our wokeness meter. That earns it a verdict of Ultra Based.
Does That Awkward Moment have any woke elements?
Very few. None of the 10 markers reaches 30, the level where a marker counts as present; the highest is Representation Casting at 15.
How does That Awkward Moment compare to other 2014 movies?
It ranks #212 of the 303 films from 2014 we've scored; their average is 13. The wokest is Selma (68).
How is the Woke Score calculated?
An AI-assisted process researches the film and its reception, scores it 0–100 on ten markers, then combines those into one 0–100 Woke Score. It measures a specific set of 2020s cultural themes, not film quality.