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Basic

Play trailer Poster for Basic 2026 1h 36m Comedy Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
Basic follows Gloria (Ashley Park) and Nick (Taylor John Smith), who go through a painful breakup. Gloria then spirals through Nick's past dating history, untangling his web of ex-girlfriends until she discovers the reason for all their issues: Kaylinn (Leighton Meester), the hottest, most basic ex-girlfriend to ever exist, who not only just took Gloria's boyfriend, but is about to take her entire story from her, too.

Critics Reviews

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Perri Nemiroff Perri Nemiroff (YouTube) 4d
4.5/5
A super entertaining and charming rom-com that's also a whipsmart exploration of modern dating, jealousy and female friendship. A stellar feature directorial debut for Chelsea Devantez that rocks an ideal lead pairing in Ashley Park and Leighton Meester. Go to Full Review Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com 4d
The first half can feel a little thin, and the whole thing relies way too much on voiceover, but that falls away with Meester and Park’s comic chemistry as two very different women who discover their common ground. Go to Full Review Angie Han The Hollywood Reporter Mar 17
The pair are great fun to watch together, and certainly share more interesting chemistry with each other than either does with Nick, who, as played by Smith, is exactly the handsome blank slate he needs to be and not much more. Go to Full Review Rachel Wagner rachelsreviews.net 7h
This movie is about the labels we put on each other, how social media exacerbates those labels and how if we can't love ourselves why should anyone else? I liked it a little more before she met Meester's character but still enjoyable. Go to Full Review Tina Kakadelis Film Obsessive 5d
Basic is the type of rom-com we’ve been missing. Sharply funny, anchored by gracious performances from Meester and Park, Basic is an ode to the mess we carry around inside of us and how, sometimes, the most unexpected person can help us tidy up. Go to Full Review Stephen Saito Moveable Fest 6d
When "Basic" concerns how new technology has compounded bad habits of the past, the filmmaker finds ways to offer an ecstatic counterpoint, speaking to a younger generation when she isn’t beholden to old ideas of what a movie can be. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Chelsea Devantez

Director

Ashley Park

Actor

Leighton Meester

Actor

Taylor John Smith

Actor

Nelson Franklin

Actor

Kandy Muse

Actor
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Basic

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Movie Info

Synopsis Basic follows Gloria (Ashley Park) and Nick (Taylor John Smith), who go through a painful breakup. Gloria then spirals through Nick's past dating history, untangling his web of ex-girlfriends until she discovers the reason for all their issues: Kaylinn (Leighton Meester), the hottest, most basic ex-girlfriend to ever exist, who not only just took Gloria's boyfriend, but is about to take her entire story from her, too.
Director
Chelsea Devantez
Producer
Marc Platt, Katie McNicol, Nadine de Barros
Screenwriter
Chelsea Devantez
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 36m