Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Plan B’ On Hulu, Where Two BFFs Hit The Road To Find A Morning After Pill

The teen comedy genre has put out some real gems over the last few years; between Booksmart, Blockers, and The Edge of Seventeen (just to name a few), we’ve seen some truly great, fresh flicks that take place in high school. Natalie Morales’s Plan B, now streaming on Hulu, easily earns its place among these favorites, and comes with the added bonus of a timely theme at its heart.

PLAN B: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Lupe (Victoria Moroles) and Sunny (Kuhoo Verma) are best friends living in South Dakota. Lupe spends her mornings rebelling against her pastor father with black lipstick and a secret nose ring, while Sunny’s worst fear seems to be disappointing her mother. The girls have their respective crushes – Lupe on the mysterious Logan, who she’s only talked to over text, and Sunny on Hunter (Michael Provost), a cardigan-loving popular boy. When Sunny’s mom goes out of town for the weekend, Lupe sees it as the perfect opportunity to throw a party.

What begins as a hopeful evening soon takes a turn when Sunny loses her virginity to an unexpected player in less-than-ideal fashion. Hoping to solve Sunny’s problem quickly, the two hit the local pharmacy for a Plan B pill – only to discover that a “conscience clause” – a very real thing that allows pharmacists to refuse to sell emergency contraception to minors if they don’t “feel right” about it – will prevent them from purchasing the pill. The two then set off on a bonkers roadtrip that sees them encounter quirky gas station attendants, pierced drug dealers, and a love interest or two… all for a life-changing little pill.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Plan B is a worthy addition to the teens-fending-for-their-own-reproductive-health canon, which also includes flicks like Unpregnant and Never Rarely Sometimes Always. There’s also a hint of Booksmart and Superbad here.

Performance Worth Watching: This is a star-making turn for Kuhoo Verma, who takes center stage with grace and humor and an ease that implies she’s been doing this much longer than she actually has. As straight-laced Sunny, she’s got insane comedic timing, stealing every one of her scenes with an electric screen presence that makes it impossible to look away. Whether she’s serving a wide-eyed deadpan or sobbing in a parking lot, Verma makes it obvious that she was made for this. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Memorable Dialogue: There are some great lines in Plan B, but I got such a kick out of an early exchange between Lupe and her pastor father over breakfast when he criticizes her look: “Jesus wore dresses and nobody judged him, right?” she quips. “Everybody judged him. They crucified him,” her father deadpans back.

Sex and Skin: There’s a lot of sex talk, and a perfectly awkward virginity-losing scene that takes place on a bathroom counter, as well as a steamy car hookup.

Our Take: With Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Unpregnant, and Plan B all having been released in the last year and change, it’s no secret that reproductive rights are a hot issue. Each of these films handle the subject matter with their own storytelling styles, with Plan B managing to combine all the raunchiness of a flick like Superbad with its timely message about women’s sexual healthcare. While Plan B seems less interested in saying a lot about access to emergency contraception than it is in delivering laughs and a sweet story about best friends coming of age, it still feels incredibly important.

The heart of Plan B is really its dynamic duo, played so lovably by Victoria Moroles and Kuhoo Verma. They’re the perfect mismatched pair, obvious chemistry and adoration for one another shining through every encounter. Just like Booksmart – another movie that delivers an unforgettable female friendship at its center – Plan B understands that the bond between these BFFs is the most crucial ingredient in this ridiculous recipe. The story isn’t all that new (with the exception with the appearance of one pierced appendage I can’t imagine would have made the cut had this gone to theaters), but Lupe and Sunny’s relationship feels fresh and compelling enough for all of it to mean something. Plan B may not always know what it’s doing, but at least its leading ladies do.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Plan B strikes a sweet balance of heartfelt, raunchy, and timely, easily earning its place among some of our most beloved teen comedies.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Plan B on Hulu