Jul 6, 2019
Hi everyone!
Well, it certainly has been an exciting week here at One Movie Punch. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, head back to Episode #516 (“Grass is Greener”) for the beginning of what would be a nearly three-week takeover by Big Heads Media. After being trapped in the bunker for that long, I need a day off to get things organized again. And because One Movie Spouse is so awesome, she’s taking today’s review even though she’s been all over the world gathering the troops to retake the island. We all know who the real hero is around here.
Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.
Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation.
Here we go!
/////
Hello, it’s me, Amy, aka One Movie Spouse. :::mmmwwwaaahh::
So, it’s summer, and you haven’t heard much from me yet, at least in terms of reviews. Happy to say that we’ve beaten back the invaders of the Big Heads Media Podcast Network. WOO HOO! Now that I’m happily in summer mode, I’ve also been busy going to spin class, doing lots of reading, and binge-watching television and movies missed during the school year. In addition to liberating the secret podcasting island base, of course. Teachers really do recharge in the summer, and today’s movie helped to do just that!
Today’s movie is “The Perfect Date” (2019), the romantic comedy film directed by Chris Nelson and written for the screen by Steve Bloom. The film follows Brooks Rattigan (Noah Centineo), who is about to graduate high school, and wishes he could afford college. With the help of his friend Murph (Odiseas Georgiadis), they create an app for Brooks to serve as a plus-one for events, in hopes of raising enough money to afford tuition to his dream school. But what does he learn about himself, society, and success in the process?
No spoilers.
The real strength of this film is the cast. Overall, the cast compliments each other very well, moving between realism and caricatures found in high school coming of age films. Centineo’s Brooks Rattigan, as the lead, falls into his usual “likeable guy” role, as seen in “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “Sierra Burgess is a Loser”. However, the characters around him help Brooks consider many questions during graduation, like “Who am I?” and “Who do I want to be?”, and in some cases, such as his friendship with Celia (Laura Marona), holding him accountable for his actions. The whole cast maintains an overall positive message with light-hearted performances.
This film also strikes balance between independence and the changing relationship between parents and children. I could find myself relating to Brooks’ dad, Charlie Rattigan (Matt Walsh), trying to find ways to connect with his teenage son. Even when their relationship was strained, Charlie remained available to support Brooks, even when there wasn’t much that he could do. What’s that, my eyes are leaking. I’M not crying; YOU’RE crying! Seriously though, I got choked up a few times during this film, seeing my own evolving relationship with our teenage daughter (and World News Network anchor).
This film has a similar appeal to the John Hughes films of the 1980s and early 1990s, for me and other thirty- to forty-somethings. You can group “The Perfect Date” along with “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”, “Sierra Burgess is a Loser”, “Love, Simon”, and “The Kissing Booth” as safe, go-to films for the current adolescent generation to help navigate suburban life. The comedy keeps you laughing, and the positive message and uncomplicated storylines will have you loving re-watching it as much as the first time. My daughter has already watched “The Kissing Booth” four or five times. I suspect she’ll see this one a few times as well.
“The Perfect Date” is a charming, funny, slightly predictable coming of age story with a strong cast, light hearts, and positive messages. It’s sure to delight teens and anyone young at heart. It certainly made me reminisce about my teen years.
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Metacritic: NR
One Movie Punch: 7.0/10
“The Perfect Date” (2019) is rated TV-14 and is currently playing on Netflix.