Friday Night Plan resembles many a classic teen film (most notably, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Booksmart), but it also doubles as a thoughtful inquiry into the delicate bond between siblings who could not be more different from one another. Sid and his younger brother Adi (Amrith Jayan) have different ideas of what matters most in life, ideas that get tested when their mother’s car gets towed away during their night of fun. Sid thinks it’s only right to come clean and retrieve the car no matter what, but Adi believes this can all wait until tomorrow morning: tonight is Sid’s night to celebrate and finally connect with peers he’s shut off all his life. This tension comes as a surprise in what otherwise looks like an ordinary teen movie, but it’s also a welcome addition that helps Friday Night Plan stand out from the rest. 

The world in which Sid and Adi live seems so Westernized (everyone speaks perfect English and the hallways are indistinguishable from American schools) that I was shocked when the obligatory musical scene came on. This is a Bollywood movie, after all, so there must be perfect singing and synchronized dancing! It’s such a joyful moment that takes you away from the movie for a while, but in a good way, like a perfectly timed intermission that gives you permission to just appreciate the existence of this movie.