In Something Great, Netflix has possibly its first heart-wrenchingly honest rom-com.
The narrative flows through the lives of three best friends, lead by Jenny (Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez) whose life has been torn apart after splitting up from her long term boyfriend. Blair (Pitch Perfect’s Brittany Snow) who is stuck in a loveless and dull relationship and Erin (Dewanda Wise) who is in love with her girlfriend but terrified of allowing herself to be happy.
The chemistry of the best friends is portrayed so well by the actresses, that five minutes into the film you are totally wrapped up in their lives. They bounce off each other, while the three different personalities tell the intricate, individual stories really well.
It’s a millennial appropriate rom-com done well. It’s not your usual Netflix original about high school kids, or the monotonous story of a guy proclaiming his love where everybody lives happily ever after. It’s a lot more down to earth and realistic, gripping the viewers from frame one.
It begins with Jenny’s best friends noticing she is playing a song she always listens to after a break up, but they don’t believe that she could have separated with long term boyfriend Nate. Almost immediately they find out it’s true.
Nate is handsome, effortlessly cool and sweet. In the first half of the film their relationship seems faultless which makes you feel more broken-hearted for Jenny. Flashbacks of the relationship are weaved throughout the film often in a hazy pink light, soaked with nostalgia.
But as the film goes on it appears their relationship wasn’t as strong as originally perceived. Instead, they are a college couple that have just grown apart. They need to do different things, no matter how much they love each other it just isn’t working anymore.
Ru Paul stars as a drug dealer called ‘Hype’, who brings the fairy godmother role to it, except instead of giving her magical shoes for a ball, it’s free molly for one last crazy night in New York. There are quite a lot of drug reference in the film which is unexpected but it works.
For the final night out all three friends look incredible. Blair in a smart suit, Erin in a bright red denim two piece, and Jenny in a black slip dress with white dots. Her wavy hair pulled into a strong pony tail and red lipstick.
Overall, the film tells a tale of heartbreak, moving on and the power of female friendships. It’s a really strong story portrayed well through the chemistry of the cast and the cinematography. Not to mention the incredible soundtrack, featuring Robyn, LCD Soundsystem, and Lorde.
Something Great is available on Netflix now.
Film Media and Journalism student at the University of Stirling. Editor in Chief at Brig Newspaper. Edinburgh / Stirling
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