First Date is a 2021 American mystery comedy-drama film directed and written by Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp in their feature directorial debuts. The film stars Tyson Brown, Shelby Duclos, Jesse Janzen, Nicole Berry and Samuel Ademola.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021, and was released in theaters and on Apple TV on July 2, 2021, in the United States by Magnet Releasing.
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Plot
Conned into buying a shady '65 Chrysler, Mike's first date with the girl-next-door, Kelsey, implodes as he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops, and a crazy cat lady. A night fueled by desire, bullets and burning rubber makes any other first date seem like a walk in the park.
Cast
The cast includes:
Tyson Brown as Mike
Shelby Duclos as Kelsey
Jesse Janzen as The Captain
Nicole Berry as Sergeant Davis
Samuel Ademola as Deputy Duchovny
Ryan Quinn Adams as Vince
Angela Barber as Ricky
Josh Fesler as Brett
Dave Reimer as Shannon
Leah Finity as Darla
Jake Howard as Donnie
Scott E. Noble as Dennis
Brittany Rietz as Confused Car Woman
Nicholas Macias as Bystander
Keldamuzik as Mike's Mom
Release
The film had its premiere in the "Next" section of the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021. A month later, the film's US distribution rights were acquired by Magnet Releasing, the genre film label of Magnolia Pictures, with plans to release it in theaters and on Apple TV in the United States on July 2, 2021.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 51% of 47 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Although this First Date might have gone more smoothly, it remains an (occasionally very) funny crime caper -- and an intriguing calling card for debuting co-directors Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Kristy Puchko of RogerEbert.com wrote: "Overall, this wild-ass comedy is a jolting thrill ride, packed with barbed jokes, hilarious characters, and threaded with a sweet and simple romance that pulls us through the wonkier bits. Simply put, First Date is a diamond in the rough, but a diamond nonetheless."
Danielle Solzman of Solzy at the Movies praised Crosby and Knapp's direction and positively compared the film to the work of Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers, while further adding: "I've seen some beautiful films in the NEXT program and First Date could very well be the next hit to come from it. When we look back on this unique Sundance in a few years from now, we'll be able to say that's where Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp were discovered."
John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter was critical of the film, but praised the performances of Brown and Duclos, writing: "The film gets a bit more enjoyable as soon as the two share the screen together. But they have precious little time for flirty banter before Knapp and Crosby throw them back into action copped from other genre movies. This time it's a True Romance-like standoff between teams of heavily armed people arguing over drugs and money. It's amazing how much of this mayhem Mike survives before the script decides it's time for him to do something."