Summary
The Perfect Date has all the bearings of the usual, routine Netflix film, but the on-screen chemistry is a joy to watch.
Usually, with films like The Perfect Date, I roll up my sleeves, massage my sorry brain and take in that oozy generic feeling, ready to write a review complaining about how routine some Netflix films are. But despite the predictability and recycled script, I enjoyed this Netflix film.
If anything, the rom-com represents the pressure weighed on the shoulders of our next generation who are smothered in cotton wool; become the next Elon Musk, create an app, go to the most prestigious University, and get the hottest woman available at the next house party. In The Perfect Date, that’s precisely what character Brooks Rattigan (Noah Centineo) represents. He wants it all, and he feels he has to rise to certain criteria to be accepted, despite having a likable personality.
Looking over his bullshit name, and moving to the premise of The Perfect Date, Brooks wants to go to Yale, reminding me of countless of episodes of Gilmore Girls. He decides to use his friend’s developer services and build an application where women pay for him to be their plus-one. Worth noting his services are completely clean.
With his desire to prop himself up with the elite, he becomes acquainted with Celia Lieberman (Laura Marano), who is from a wealthy family but is against their values. She’s the oddball in the family, a character that keeps you at arm’s length, but immediately catches Brooks’ attention.
Throughout The Perfect Date, the duo does the old genre trick of trying to set each other up with someone else, not realizing that their friendship holds the solution. The Perfect Date heavily plays the theme of being yourself, as Brooks goes on a range of fake dates via the app to take on a role that isn’t him.
The onscreen chemistry between the pair is what brings the Netflix film from boringly average to good and interesting. I enjoyed the back and forth between Brooks and Celia, with the dialogue emphasizing their matching personalities.
The Perfect Date doesn’t go any deeper than its advertised surface, but for a Friday night Netflix and chill, it might make you feel cozy.
