TV

The Perfect Date Review: A Valueless High School Rom-Com!

Cast – Noah Centineo, Laura Marano
Directed by – Chris Nelson
Genre – Romantic-Comedy
Streaming Platform – Netflix

Related: Unicorn Store Review: A Whimsical Coming-of-Age Story!


Introduction

The Perfect Date is yet another addition to the existing clutter of formulaic Generation Z rom-coms! Starring Netflix’s blue-eyed high school boy Noah Centineo yet again. Brooks Rattigan (played by Noah) is in need of money for his college education in an ivy league and figures that the best way to make that money is to create an app using which any girl can hire him to be a stand-in boyfriend of their preference. Not like a hooker though (as has been clarified in the movie). Through the course he meets the Generation Z version of a manic pixie dream girl – the angry feminist kinds but he doesn’t realize that she is the one for him. Will he realize that she is the one?! Any guesses?


Rationalization

As a cinephile, one realizes that formulaic movies will never go out of fashion for the mere fact that it is a short-term dose of entertainment. But, does that justify sluggish writing? For example, the movie introduces the protagonist as a guy who doesn’t know what he truly wants or why he wants to get into Yale, and by the end of the movie, neither the protagonist nor the audience knows anything more about him other than the fact that he hits it off with a girl. Seriously? Why blame the protagonist of not knowing himself when the entire movie is completely unaware of the story it is trying to weave!? Beyond a lost boy, a mysterious girl and a gay best friend, the writer has barely made an effort to build his characters, the world of the movie or the narrative.

The female interest and the gay best friend have a few self-aware and sensible dialogues. Besides that, it is really hard to find any other saving grace. Also, someone should save Noah from this rut of valueless high school rom-coms before his career fizzles out.


Conclusion

The trailer reveals the entire movie, so, watch this one if it is your thing to watch Noah Centineo graduate from high school with a nice girlfriend again and again. At least each time the girlfriend is different!

Rating – 1.5/5 | Grade – D+

Pallavi Sridhar

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