The Perfect Date is a standard rom-com with a lesson for everyone
The Perfect Date is now available to stream on Netflix. Is it worth watching? If you love the standard rom-com format then you’ll definitely want to give it a chance.
Netflix’s latest rom-com movie is The Perfect Date. Starring To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before‘s Noah Centineo, it’s a standard rom-com with a lesson for everyone hidden within. Is it worth the watch? It really will depend on what you want to get out of the movie.
There are some minor spoilers in this review.
For those who want a YA rom-com, this is going to be the movie for you. If you loved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, then this is definitely right up your alley. And it’s what I enjoyed so much about the movie. There are lessons to take from it, a standard storyline that means you don’t have to think too much and you just get to enjoy it for the sake of it.
I’ll admit that the movie is predictable. It follows typical plot points of someone having a dream, doing everything they want to reach the dream, and then finding out their dream causes them to lose all their friends. Eventually, the person who did everything to reach their dream realizes that maybe the dream wasn’t worth it all.
Yet, within the movie is that lesson to be yourself. If a dream is worth it, it won’t force you to be someone you’re not. Centineo’s character, Brooks, at one point lies to the Yale dean to make himself seem better than he is, to seem more suited to the Ivy League College. Just because you want something so much doesn’t make it right for you.
Casting for the movie was on point, and not just to pull in the fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Laura Marano plays Celia to perfection, giving us hints of what she’s thinking through her facial experiences and lilts in her voice. At one point, she’s on a date with a guy she’s sure is perfect for her but soon realizes that he’s just dull. You don’t need her to say that, though, as her eyes and fake smile say it all.
Odiseas Georgiadis as Murph brings the best friend element, who is also the guy who helps Brooks set up the dating app. One thing The Perfect Date could have benefitted from is more development for Murph. There was a side plot with his interest in a guy who keeps coming into Subway, where both Murph and Brooks work, but the character was never developed enough for us to care about that.
I am glad that we got to see some time spent on Brooks’ relationship with his dad. We got to see Brooks’ changing attitude about life and push to get into Yale help his dad gain the courage to start writing again. The two seemed a little too accepting of Brooks’ mother just walking out on them but acceptance does come with time.
Another part of the movie that could have done with more development was the reasons behind the women who hire Brooks as their “perfect date.” He sets up this app, showing excellent entrepreneurial skills, but this part of the movie is glossed over. We see him take on the various personalities and see glimpses of the girls, but that’s about it.
I know time would have been a problem for this. Maybe The Perfect Date would have worked better as a TV show instead of a movie. Just eight episodes would have given us time to delve into the dates and added more comedy to the romance. Granted it was easy to guess why the girls would set up the perfect date, but I really wanted to know why one wanted Brooks to act like a complete horror around her parents!
Overall, it’s a typical teen rom-com and perfect for those who love To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Don’t expect too much out of the ordinary, but when you want a sweet movie with some life lessons, The Perfect Date is worth checking out.
What did you think of The Perfect Date? Share your thoughts in the comments below.