Home Movie Reviews Spoiler Alert Review: Parsons & Aldridge Exude Warmth In Engaging Romantic Drama

Packed with genuinely heartfelt moments, plenty of humor, and solid cast performances, Spoiler Alert makes for quite a lovely watch. 

Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge in Spoiler Alert 

It’s been a while since there was a film that falls under the tear-jerker category. For the screening of this film, there were even small tissue packs handed out to audiences. On that front, Spoiler Alert absolutely delivers without being contrived. Directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by David Marshall Grant and Dan Savage, the film is based on the 2017 memoir by Michael Ausiello, called Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies. Packed with genuinely heartfelt moments, plenty of humor, and solid cast performances, Spoiler Alert makes for quite a lovely watch.
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Michael Ausiello (The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons) is an entertainment journalist living in New York. Michael is consumed with his work, which includes watching several hours of television and occasionally writing about Fear Factor, but he’s convinced to go out to a bar, where he meets and instantly clicks with Kit Cowan (Ben Aldridge), a photographer. It’s not long before they’re seeing each other all the time, and, over several years, Michael and Kit’s relationship grows stronger. But after 14 years together, and a few speed bumps, everything changes when Kit is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Related: Michael Ausiello Interview: Spoiler Alert

Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge in Spoiler Alert

Spoiler Alert knows exactly the kind of film it is and sits comfortably in the space it has created. There is comfort in this, and the film has the right amount of heart and humor that one doesn’t find in romance films much anymore. While based on Ausiello’s real-life relationship with his late husband, Spoiler Alert effectively employs certain tropes without ever feeling particularly trope-y. As a director, Showalter has a firm grasp on what the film is about and where its heart lies, giving the audience a well-paced and heartwarming story that is elevated by its lead and supporting actors.

Parsons and Aldridge are fabulous together; they’ve got a good amount of chemistry and, even when their characters are not in a particularly good place in their relationship, the actors exude a warmth that showcases how much Michael and Kit care for and love each other despite everything. Sally Field and Bill Irwin — who portray Kit’s parents, Marilyn and Bob, respectively — are also excellent, grounding the film and filling it with support and a spirited energy that livens up their scenes.

Bill Irwin, Sally Field, Ben Aldridge, and Jim Parsons in Spoiler Alert

What works the least, however, are the 80s sitcom scenes, which are interspersed throughout Spoiler Alert as a way for the audience to glimpse Michael’s past and, crucially, his relationship with his mother. However, these scenes don’t add anything meaningful to Michael’s personal story, nor are they funny as standalones. They distract from the overall narrative, and take up time that could have been better spent on deepening Michael and Kit’s relationship. That said, these moments, unnecessary as they are, don’t take away from the overall story.

Spoiler Alert doesn’t force its sorrow on the audience to make them cry or feel sympathy. Rather, the film develops the characters’ relationship enough so that when cancer rears its ugly head, the audience understands the gravity of the situation without being exploited by the narrative. What’s more, the film provides space for the characters — through lingering eye contact, heartbreaking pauses, and humor — to feel their feelings, which adds authenticity and vulnerability to the story. Yet despite the heaviness of the situation, the romantic drama doesn’t take itself too seriously; there is always a glimmer of hope or comedic dialogue breaking through the fog of despair.

Spoiler Alert may not be the film leading awards chatter this winter, but it is touching, funny, hopeful, and full of love. Paired with genuinely moving performances, the romantic drama is like a warm embrace, with an equal amount of humor, sorrow, and love wrapped up in it.

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Spoiler Alert was released in theaters Friday, December 9. The film is 112 minutes long and rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug use and thematic elements.