*** SPOILER ALERT*** ... not that there really could be one for yet another coming of age film.
Ah, we meet again. Netflix has made another original film staring, of course, their current Star-boy Noah Centineo. This movie is about a teenage boy, who works a part-time job after school, has split up parents, and has always *big shocker here* wanted to date the most popular girl in school. In this movie, Brooks and his best friend create an app where people can request his services for dates, dances, etc, for a small fee. He plans to use his earnings to pay for Yale if he is accepted. This app became an idea after a classmate's cousin's parents paid Brooks to take their daughter to a school dance.
Surprisingly enough, the girl, Celia, and Brooks become friends, and even grow a fondness of one another even though their relationship is supposed to be staged, as Celia's parents had paid Brooks to date her. Anyway, of course, they stage a breakup, where Celia is hurt because she actually likes Brooks, then Brooks goes out with the hot girl, they don't work out, and he inevitably goes back to Celia. This is where I thought the movie might be different, or at least interesting. Celia turned Brooks down because she didn't want to be his second choice. Finally, a girl stands up for herself in one of these movies!
That is until 5 minutes later into the film when she shows up at his door to confess her love. Of. Course. The movie ends with Brooks getting into Yale and they all live happily ever after in Netflix land. I'm OVER it!!! I have seen just about 837 movies with this exact same plot, with similar actors, made over the last few decades. Enough is enough. I want something different. I want the girl guy to tell the guy or girl that they don't want to be their backup and actually MEAN IT for once! Then show said person happy with someone else or devoting time to self-love and growth instead of just running back to the protagonist and them going off into the enchanted forest of romance and butterflies.
Give me drama. Give me depth. Show me the couple ten years later living separate lives. I don't need to be reaffirmed that love and happiness always happen at the end of a high school dance. Show me real life.
