Review of We Need Girlfriends

Single gals have Sex and the City, and now, single guys get “We Need Girlfriends.” The ingeniously-titled Web series, launched in November 2006, follows three recent graduates as they try to answer that age-old, real-world question: How do you get into the dating scene after college? The stories take a page from the personal experiences of the show’s creators: script writer Steven Tsapelas, director of photography Angel Acevedo, and film editor/director Brian Amyot. After graduating from Hofstra University, the trio founded Ragtag Productions in 2004 and has since produced several award-winning films like My Imaginary Friend Lars Stevens and Teenage Superhero Pregnancy Scare. “We Need Girlfriends,” their monthly endeavor shot in Astoria, Queens, is one more testament to their filmmaking brilliance.

New grads and roommates Tom (Patrick Cohen), Henry (Seth Kirschner), and Rod (Evan Bass) are desperate to date again after moving to NYC and being dumped by their long-term college girlfriends. In the pilot episode, level-headed Tom flirts with new neighbor Lucy (Brigitte Hagerman) but doesn’t realize she has already been “claimed” by his overconfident and hotheaded roommate Rod. When Rod s

torms out because Tom has “scammed on my squirrel,” Henry, the sensitive, nerdy roommate, tells Tom, “We need to find long-term girlfriends again.” With this inventive set-up, the rest of the series takes off into a number of wacky directions (including a Rod v. Henry war that spawns actual “Team Rod,” “Team Henry” and “Team Tom” T-shirts). Tsapelas’s writing throughout is fantastic – a perfect mix of outlandish one-liners with understated humor – and Amyot and Acevedo’s editing captures comic timing to a tee.

But perhaps the best thing about the series (aside from the awesome soundtrack by up-and-coming artists and bands) is the relatable sincerity underlying these 5-10 minute episodes. At the end of “The Boyfriend,” Henry imparts a surprising bit of wisdom on the dating scene: “It’s just as hard out there for girls as it is for guys.” Tom fires back, “Naw, it’s harder for us.” Whether or not you agree, “We Need Girlfriends” won’t fail to keep you amused.

Watch all the episodes. They’re that good. The MySpace episode, in particular, is an absolute riot. Tom learns how to use social networking sites to stalk and get back at his ex, giving us a funny and eerily accurate glimpse into digital-age relationships.