Find love in the most unexpected places...
...and in unusual faces. As someone who's been avoiding warm, fuzzy and so-called 'romantic', I found my 'perfect find', I think. Imagine a romantic comedy that has you laughing, crying, and feeling all the feels? Well Netflix latest flick, romantic comedy, 'The Perfect Find', has nostalgia meets cliché love stories and great visuals.
Based on a screenplay by Leigh Davenport, and directed by Numa Perrier, 'The Perfect Find' is based on the book of the same name by Tia Williams. The film stars Gabrielle Union, Keith Powers, Janet Hubert, Aisha Hinds, D.B. Woodside, La La Anthony and Gina Torres.
Played by Gabrielle Union, the film follows Jenna Jones, a forty-year-old beauty journalist who moves back to New York City, after being dumped by her boyfriend of 10 years, Brian (Woodside). She asks her rival Darcy (Torres) for a job at Darzine and is offered the Creative Director position on a three-month trial basis. One night out with her girlfriends, Elodie (Anthony) and Billie (Hinds), Jenna is wooed by a young man, Eric (Powers). The two flirt and start making out until Jenna embarrasses herself. She walks away and gets her girlfriends to leave the party.
The next day, Jenna is nursing a hangover when Darcy introduces the company's new videographer, Eric. Eric also happens to be Darcy's, one and only son. Eric is fascinated by the irony of the situation, and teases Jenna. The two begin to work together on content for the magazine's subscription relaunch, and they decide to keep their hook-up between them.
On their first day of the rebranding mission, Jenna and Eric argue and don't speak to each other all weekend. On Monday, they call a truce and Jenna invites Eric to bring his friends, Tim, and his girlfriend, Carlita, to a dinner she and her friends are hosting to meet her date, 50-year-old Jimmy (Godfrey). Their friends hit it off, however, Jimmy is the fish out of water. Jenna and Eric spend some alone time together after the others leave.
At work, Jenna and Eric discuss their love for old films and the 'Perfect Find' tribute to classic couture. They get some designers to come aboard and offer limited edition pieces and media influencers to help spread the word. They walk together on the Brooklyn Bridge with champagne to celebrate their campaign. They make love, and Eric tells her about his dad, Otis, who was killed when he was two. Jenna explains that she and Brian, met at college, and were both overachievers thus becoming a power couple.
Brian is featured in Forbes, and the New York Times contacts Darcy to feature her as a media mogul for the Perfect Find. The subscriptions surpass 1 million, and the Times article focuses more on Jenna and Eric's work together.
After Jenna shows that she's jealous of Eric's ex, Madison at Billie's daughter's birthday party, he leaves angry and ignores her calls and messages. Brian arrives ar Jenna's home, grieving his mother's passing, and she offers to drive him home. The following day, Jenna gets the keys to Darcy's penthouse from Carlita, and goes up to apologise to Eric. She apologises and confesses that she loves Eric before the two make out. Darcy walks in on the couple, and confronts Jenna about her relationship with her son. Darcy fires Jenna, Eric doesn't defend them, and Jenna leaves humiliated. Time moves, and Eric moves into his own apartment and works on his own film.
After New Year, Jenna convinces Eric to meet with her in a café. She shares that she's teaching a fashion in film course at Columbia. She shows him her first sonogram, stating that they are expecting and he gets angry. Darcy invites herself into Jenna's apartment and announces they are now family due to the pregnancy. She also shares her tragic love story with Eric's father, and her 'fierce' love for her son. Eric shows up to Jenna's doctor's appointment, where he discovers that they are expecting a son. Jenna asks if they could name their son after Eric's late father, and double barrel the surname. The expectant parents attend the next Darzine Gala together. When asked about her comeback, Jenna comments that it's not a comeback, it's a perfect find. She and Eric kiss, and the movie ends.
Script my life, I somewhat resonate with Jenna's character as I'm also trying to find my way back into a fulfilling career. The plot touches on the universal experience of losing a significant relationship, and a brief look at 'grief' at the beginning of the film where Jenna spends time at her parents' home. Her mother (Janet Hubert) pushes her to get up and get a life. This sets Jenna for a bounce back from it and rediscovering her passion. Apparently I have received a harsh push and now I'm seeking my passion and drive.
The romantic relationship between Jenna and Eric also caught my attention, and made me think about my own potential romantic interests. Again, while I have a 'type', I'm open to exploring something different. In this case, remember le garçon du chocolat ? Let's just say after watching Eric relentlessly pursue Jenna, me thinks, maybe I should consider something more with le garçon du chocolat. What I learnt is that it's important to approach any potential relationship with intention and a deep connection, just like Eric. His concern wasn't about the age gap but the fact that he did find Jenna attractive. Their passion for film and old Hollywood also shows similar interests.
The main theme is that love can be found in unexpected places. The two main characters, both find love in unexpected places and discover that it can be just as fulfilling as traditional relationships. Another theme is that people can grow and change for the better. Both characters go through a journey of self-discovery and growth, showing that people can change for the better with time and effort. Finally, the movie also shows that love can come in many different forms, and that it doesn't always have to look the same. These themes are all tied together in the story and make the movie an enjoyable and meaningful experience.
I love that 'Perfect Find' treated the older woman-younger man relationship from a different lense. Jenna wasn't potrayed as Mrs Robinson in 'The Graduate', neither was she a caricature of a cougar, and the older woman does have a meaningful relationship with the younger man. For too long, film and television have treated such relationships as taboo. The older woman is perceived as a predator, or suffering from a midlife crisis, while the young man has 'mommy issues' or is socially experimenting so that he can tick off his list of 'conquests'.
The film also pays homage to Harlem, New York, and old Hollywood. Gotta love the romantic bridge moment. For anyone who knows me, New York is my dream city - to live, work, and experience. I still dream of living in New York. The 'Perfect Find' campaign is nostalgic as it celebrates black female icons such as Dorothy Dandridge, Aretha Franklin, and Pam Grier.
The soundtrack is a perfect blend of classic and modern. It features a mix of styles, including soul, hip hop, and R&B. It sets the tone for the movie and adds to the overall experience. The music amplifies the emotional moments. From the romantic duets to the soulful solos, the music moves through different eras from classics such as "Thou Swell” by Ella Fitzgerald, "You Got It All” by The Jets to “Weak” by SWV, "Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic, and Usher’s "Good Kisser."
I won't lie, Keith Powers meets my younger man type. Tall, the goatee, (I'm consistent about the goatee), and the voice, lawd! The flick was cliché, actually Gabrielle Union's character is similar to her past film and television characters. Jenna Jones is similar to characters from Deliver Us from Eva, Daddy's Girls, The Perfect Holiday, Think Like A Man, Almost Christmas and TV show, Being Mary Jane. Uptight, career woman who has a struggling love life. So the character is pretty, meh! But the vibrant colours, some of Jenna's outfits were fire, and the homage to the golden era, are what I love about the movie.
Would I watch 'Perfect Find' again? Not so fast. It's not 'Love Jones' or 'The Best Man'. Do I relate to 'Jenna Jones' script? To a larger extent, yes. Anyway, that's enough lovey-dovey flicks for me, back to watching comedy, or drama.
Until the next flick...
... embrace and appreciate your perfect find!
P.S.: Always write your own love story!
Ciao!
Lady E
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