I remember when this was out at Christmas, and I felt like I had no idea what this was, then word of mouth caught on. So, there must be something to the pairing of Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, two hopefuls for the future A-List. And the fact that this is now on their list of success stories, they will keep getting more film role offers. But, as more and more romantic comedies fad to black on streaming service debuts, was this the one that could save the genre, or is this just another serviceable destination flick?
It’s the latter. If we considered the top echelon of romantic comedies to include things like Pretty Woman and Sleepless In Seattle, this falls around the tier below that. There is nothing wrong with that tier. Plenty of people adore movies from that tier. For example, Matthew Perry’s Fools Rush in is a perfectly fine romantic comedy, and it somehow has stuck around. Although, he’s done other romantic comedies, like the forgotten Three To Tango, which is where most streaming romcoms are headed. The new crop isn’t being given a chance to stand out, and in a market where the target demographic often goes for comfort movies that they’ve seen a dozen times before, if this doesn’t make an immediate impact, it will slowly fade away. My prediction is that it made enough of an impact, like No Strings Attached or Friends With benefits, that it will have some people watching it, and it won’t completely fall into a black hole like the Luke Wilson/Uma Thurman My Super Ex-Girlfriend, or the Luke Wilson/Kate Hudson Alex and Emma. Maybe it’s just a Luke Wilson thing. Home Fries anyone?
The plot isn’t that original. Two people who have met before and don’t like each other, end up at a wedding where they decide it is best to pretend they are dating, due to pressures from their families to find someone. Of course, like every romantic comedy, you know how this is going to end. For his part, Powell plays the romantic lead just fine, except for the fact that I feel him holding back comedically. I became a fan of his on Scream Queens, and I know he can be funnier if given the opportunity, and here he feels incredibly muted, even in the moments where he’s supposed to be the joke. He’s still being given direction to be funny… but remain sexy. I’m not sure that fully works.
I’m less familiar with Sweeney, because I don’t watch euphoria, but comedy doesn’t seem to be her strongest suit, though she’s fine here. Lots of actresses are thrown into this genre, like as a prerequisite, and it doesn’t always gel with everyone.She feels almost like the girl you’re not supposed to root for, like Brooklyn Decker in Just Go With It. Someone perfectly nice, but ultimately not the one you want to end up with the guy at the end.
The audio description was fine, and helped point out as much boobage as possible. There’s a character here whose sole purpose seems to be either topless, having her breasts being seen in her clothes, or cleavage, and Andrea Breton (who wrote and narrated) captures all of that for anyone who just really wanted that. However, there’s some other stuff important to describe here, like the beauty of this destination wedding, and the goofy situations our leads find themselves in. Motion Picture Solutions isn’t a company I hear frequently at the end of things, but they made a nice track.
This was fine. i don’t have the desire to watch it like some of my personal romcom favorites over and over. but, years down the road, i also wouldn’t be opposed to watching this again.
Final Grade: B
