The new Gina Rodriguez led romantic comedy hits all the right notes.
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Gina Rodriguez stars as Jenny Young, a writer who just landed her dream job at The Rolling Stone. The catch? She must move from New York to San Francisco. This doesn’t sit well with her boyfriend of 9 years, Nate (Lakeith Stanfield) and they break up. Heartbroken, Jenny enlists the help of her two besties Erin (DeWanda Wise) and Blair (Brittany Snow) to have one last night out with her girls before she moves and turns 30. What ensues is one epic night filled with laughs, decisions, music, and love in all forms.
The story is told in a non-linear format, the smallest of details sparking Jenny’s memories that drag the viewer along into neon coloured flashbacks, from their first meeting to their last. Each scene is filled with emotion and incredible acting from Rodriguez and Stanfield and is painfully realistic in the way one reminisces on a past relationship. The characters are true to their demographic, from the costume and set design to the bountiful “I love you’s” and the painful line that is “Technically, I identify as a Slytherin with a Ravenclaw moon” (This is an actual line in the film but please don’t let this deter you) .
But the true standout of the film is the killer soundtrack. With an iconic scene of Jenny aggressively jamming out to Lizzo’s ‘Truth Hurts‘ in a drunken stupor and an indulgent exposition montage to the beat of Lorde’s ‘Supercut’, director/writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has mastered the art of the soundtrack. Appropriate, as Jenny, our lovable lead, is a music journalist.
Another great thing about the film was the fact our supporting characters do not feel like supporting characters. The women feel like real friends with a genuine bond and each gets a complete arc. Erin deals with her fears of peaking in life and admitting her feelings to her ‘not girlfriend’. Blair deals with a relationship that just didn’t work and disrupting her life plan. Fun cameos from RuPaul and Rosario Dawson add an extra sprinkle of humour to the film.
A film about growing up, falling in and out of love and what happens beyond 30. A light story with stunning visuals and good comedy. Will it join the ranks of the greatest rom-coms of all time? Maybe not. But it’s got good music, good laughs and it’s a good time.
Someone Great, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is distributed in the UK via Netflix, certificate 15.
