Jun 16, 2018
Welcome back to Streaming Saturdays. Netflix put out four feature films yesterday, three international, which we’re saving for next week, and one domestic, which we’ll be reviewing today. Like romantic comedies and looking for something else to watch? Check out Episode #110 (“I Am Not An Easy Man”), Episode #119 (“Some Like It Hot”), and the best one I’ve seen in a long time, Episode #007 (“The Big Sick”). If you have any suggestions, head over to onemoviepunch.com and let us know.
And now...
Today’s movie is “Set It Up” (2018), the Netflix Original romantic comedy written by Katie Silberman and directed by Claire Scanlon. The film follows Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell), two overworked assistants who try to set up their bosses Kirsten (Lucy Liu) and Rick (Taye Diggs). In the process, however, they begin to develop their own relationship, even as their matchmaking falls apart.
Spoilers ahead.
I used to hate romantic comedies, because they all seemed to follow the same structure. Two people meet each other under odd circumstances, then slowly begin to develop a relationship, either in spite of or because of the circumstances surrounding them, including the obligatory “will they or won’t they” sequence towards the end. As my taste in movies matured, however, I came to appreciate romantic comedies that told new stories within the same old structure, or at least hired comedy writers to punch up the comedy side, to set themselves apart from other romantic comedies. But if you are looking for a romcom that meets that standard, this film is definitely not it.
“Set It Up” is your average, middle of the road, faux high stakes romantic comedy that offers pretty much nothing new to the romantic comedy genre. In fact, it feels almost too much like every other romantic comedy, especially those between aspiring industry folks in New York City working underappreciated jobs. It is predictable by its own marketing, giving away the entire plot within the trailer, including some of the better jokes, which made me lose anticipation while watching it. And once the film used a slur making fun of the intellectually disabled, followed by the horrible bosses losing nothing and both assistants losing just about everything, I finally gave up on even trying to like it.
The cast is not to blame at all, however. Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell have pretty good chemistry on camera, navigating their developing relationship as well as the script allows for it. Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs play rather acerbic New York elites, acting childish in funny ways, but never really fleshing out as characters. Creepy Tim (Titus Burgess) and Duncan (Pete Davidson) are great supports, with fun roles. The direction followed a lot of the standard romantic comedy setups, using New York pretty well as its own character, but mostly through known landmarks overused in romantic comedies.
“Set It Up” (2018) is a romantic comedy with a great cast and decent direction, but working with a bad, sometimes cliché script. The film is good for a few laughs, and probably a few groans, but adds nothing to the genre. Fans of romantic comedies will probably enjoy this film, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t leave a lasting impression, at least not in a good way.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 66
One Movie Punch: 6.0/10
“Set It Up” (2018) is rated TV-14 and is currently streaming on Netflix.