Stranger Things is (somehow) a cultural phenomenon, Orange Is the New Black has had a great run, Narcos gets constant buzz and I'm personally looking forward to Season 2 of Mindhunter.
In the last week or so, Netflix has been featuring its original film, Set It Up, and once again the powerhouse streaming service is wiiiinninggggg. Directed by Claire Scanlon (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office) and starring up-and-comers Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell, Set It Up is an uninspired, by-the-book rom-com; but Netflix touched it, so it's crushing.
I can summarize the entire movie in one sentence: two young, overworked NYC assistants try to set up their overbearing, cliche-crusted bosses. Harper (Deutch) and Charlie (Powell) think Kirsten (Lucy Liu) and Rick (Taye Diggs) need some good lovin'. Maybe then they'll ease up a bit, and Harper and Charlie will have some more free time on their hands.
And you can probably guess what happens. Harper and Charlie don't know one another at first -- though Deutch and Powell starred together in Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! -- but their collective scheming eventually leads to some romantic feelings. Katie Silberman's screenplay hits all the regulars: First they don't care about one another, then they bond, eventually the bosses find out, there's a disagreement, then they make up. Aww.
But that's exactly Netflix's genius.
With superhero franchises absolutely dominating the theaters, romantic comedies have become a relic of the past. The past 6-7 years have been littered with the phrase, the rom-com is dead. But people are nostalgic. Everything is cyclical. Netflix knows this. It/they are super smart, and you didn't need to be super smart to figure this one out. People are ready for the return of the rom-com, and you can be damn sure that Netflix is prepared to deliver it to them.
I know cable TV is a sucker's bet these days -- considering the abundance of content-heavy streaming services -- but I'm still living in the past with Optimum. If you're like me (with Optimum, Fios or what have you) try going a weekend without seeing Meet the Parents, Hitch, Friends With Benefits, Pretty Woman and/or 10 Things I Hate About You on cable. It can't be done. Unless you keep your TV off 24-7.
I have to believe Netflix is well aware of the situation. People watch rom-coms at home when they want to "turn their brains off." It's easy watching. That's why a new-age, old-dog like Set It Up hits a sweet spot on Netflix. The viewers don't have to get out of bed. No one has to move from the couch.
Anyway, I guess I could say a little more about the film itself. Deutch and Powell are like conglomerates of other performers. In terms of looks, mannerisms and ability, Deutch -- whom I was introduced to in Why Him? and totally forgot about -- is like a mash-up of Ellen Page and Emma Roberts. She's what is known as a "Manic Pixie Dream Girl," all full of positive energy, smiles and awww shucks. I happened to catch her on a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, and she was exactly what you'd expect -- over-the-top cute, self-deprecating and impossibly nice.
Yes, a sports journalist is currently writing about rom-coms and Bravo television. Further proof of our ever-evolving society.
As for the male lead, Jerry O'Connell (a Bravo nut, fittingly enough) plus Anders Holm (Workaholics, How to Be Single) plus Pete Holmes (Crashing, his own stand-up) equals Glen Powell. I couldn't even see him in the performance. At times I saw O'Connell's overzealous charm, Holm's looks and potential versatility and Holmes' mannerisms and goofiness. He's fine with Deutch, but I'm not gushing over the match.
There's a cute scene involving a box of pizza; but that's about it. Diggs' charisma is lost in his stupid role, and I'm not really sure Liu can act. They have no chemistry, and I didn't care about the fate of either character.
On the plus side, the film moves along briskly enough. The NYC rom-com has been beaten to death -- Woody Allen wrote about 25 on his own -- but again, there's that nostalgia. It's comforting in some way.
Set It Up is a predictable mixture of The Devil Wears Prada, The Parent Trap (which is directly referenced) and 200 other cookie-cutter rom-coms, but I guess...since you don't have to get up from the couch...you can consider wasting an hour-and-a-half on it. Can't say I'd recommend it.
** JOHN FRASCELLA'S SCORE: 5 out of 10 **
Don't forget to check out my updated rankings:
Don't forget to check out my updated rankings:
1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. Stay (9/10)
4. Gone Girl (9/10)
5. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
6. Tape (9/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. Stay (9/10)
4. Gone Girl (9/10)
5. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
6. Tape (9/10)
10. Split (8.5/10)
11. Bad Moms (8.5/10)
12. Basquiat (8.5/10)
13. Moonlight (8/10)
14. The Revenant (8/10)
22. Joy (5.5/10)
23. La La Land (5/10)
24. Set It Up (5/10)
25. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
26. The Program (3/10)
27. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
24. Set It Up (5/10)
25. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
26. The Program (3/10)
27. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
28. Rings (1.5/10)
29. Mother's Day (1.5/10)
29. Mother's Day (1.5/10)
Reviews to Come...
Hell or High Water
Sunshine Cleaning
Zero Dark Thirty
The Box
Annabelle: Creation
The Conjuring 2
Baby Driver
Body of Lies
The Box
Annabelle: Creation
The Conjuring 2
Baby Driver
Body of Lies
Untraceable
The Wonder Boys
Jackie Brown
Mean Streets
Nerve
The Hateful Eight
The Seven Five
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
How to Be Single
Deadpool
Ratatouille
The Spectacular Now
The Visit
Loving
Nocturnal Animals
The Purge: Election Year
And more...
The Visit
Loving
Nocturnal Animals
The Purge: Election Year
And more...
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