REVIEW / ROMANTIC COMEDY
SOMEONE GREAT (M18)
92 minutes/Streaming on Netflix/ 3 stars
The story: When New Yorker Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) lands a dream job in San Francisco, her long-time boyfriend Nate (Lakeith Stanfield) dumps her as he refuses to do things long-distance. Heartbroken, she calls her best friends, Erin (DeWanda Wise) and Blair (Brittany Snow), for one last wild night in the city before she packs up to leave.
There is a lot of hype surrounding comic Ali Wong's Always Be My Maybe right now, but here is another cute romantic comedy on Netflix worth watching.
This one comes off as less slick - there are certainly no cameos by big names such as Keanu Reeves here, but it is no less heartwarming.
The "someone great" in the title here does not refer to the dreamy Prince Charming male lead so often featured in such romantic comedies.
Instead, it is in reference to each of the three main women in the film - all of whom are learning to be comfortable in their own skin and to become better versions of themselves.
This story is, after all, no romantic fantasy, despite what it looks like.
From the get-go, Jenny is devastated after having just been dumped by Nate, her boyfriend of nine years.
The cliched scenes of her drinking alone in her room aside, her heartache feels genuine.
Here is someone who has become so used to spending almost all of her time with one man that she does not know how to handle the sudden quiet on her own.
Every item in the apartment, every street corner and restaurant in her neighbourhood, can remind her of a memory with Nate.
This puts her in constant flashback mode, which surprisingly, does not come across as cheesy.
Because for as long as it lasted, their relationship appears to have been meaningful, sweet and fulfilling.
Her friends, to a lesser extent, have romance issues of their own.
Erin finds it difficult to admit she is falling in love with her girlfriend, while Blair is stuck in a relationship that sparks no joy.
No matter what, it is the trio's tight and convincing friendship that gets them through thick and thin.
By the end of the film, it is clear that it does not matter if Jenny gets back together with Nate as long as the girls have one another.
