Since Netflix had added that trailer feature for their shows and movies, I have seen previews for things I had never planned on watching. That trailer really gives you a good sense of the plot and whether I want to invest my time and energy into this show/movie.
So over the weekend, the trailer for Someone Great pops up and I immediately froze because I saw Gina Rodriguez. And that was not a good thing. If you have not been paying attention, Gina Rodriguez is problematic AF. She is that woman who constantly talks over women and she has "ALL Lives Mattered" Black women on multiple occasions. And even when she was called out about it, she went on the Breakfast Club and cried some BS tears in an attempt to save whatever street credibility she had. She even tried to pull that, "My father is part Black"( he def don't look it)! So I fully side eye Gina Rodriguez and this movie seems like a ploy to say, "Hey, I am not the prejudice, race sensitive person that you see on TV. Look at me, I am working WITH Black people". It seems disingenuous and manipulative based on her previous statements and actions.
Regardless, I let the trailer run because I am a sucker for romantic comedies and the rest of the cast at least intrigued me. Someone Great is the story of 3 almost 30-something women transitioning through major adulthood shit. Blair, played by Brittany Snow, is in a relationship of convenience with a man she clearly does not love and is cheating with another man. Erin, played by Dewanda Wise, is a Gay woman who refuses to settle down because she had been hurt in the past. And Jenny, played by Gina Rodriguez has gotten the job opportunity of a lifetime with Rolling Stone. The problem is the job would require her to move to San Fransisco and she has been in a long term relationship with Nate, played by Lakeith Stanfield. Nate, when presented with the news of her new job thinks they should break up and not even consider doing the long distance thing which breaks Jenny;s heart and leads to each woman examining their relationships moving forward and of course a last night bash to celebrate their friendship together.
The movie is told in flashback mode to see the evolution of the relationship between Nate and Jenny and how their relationship affected the friends around them. Sadly, Blair and Erin's relationship issues are not able to be fully fleshed out as we are constantly dealing with Nate and Jenny and as their issues wrap up, a quick happy bow are put on them without any really exploration of the characters. The movie, at 1 hour and 23 minutes really didn't leave much time left for supporting characters.
The good about this movie is the deepness of the ladies relationships and you feel that joy and angst throughout as they struggle through real life stuff. Society will lie and tell you that you need to have all your shit together by 30 and that is a fallacy. If anything, moving towards 30 often puts into focus the things you have not accomplished and can often lead to episodes of anxiety and depression and "what am I doing with my life" conversations. Put on top of that a very personal relationship, with all its ups and downs... entering your 30's can often be a bigger landmine than being in your 20's and I think Someone Great captures the spirit of that!
The bad about the movie is that Jenny and Nate have zero chemistry. I love Lakeith Stanfield and dude is a great actor but I was not feeling him in this role. Plus, the movie struggles a lot with what it is. Is this a comedy or a drama because its billed as a comedy but there are not a lot of laughs to be found here.
This movie was very similar in tone to another Netflix movie, Ibiza, which premiered last year. Three women who are on a journey and we are along for the ride. Overall, not a terrible movie, but it definitely could've been better by exploring each woman's journey more fully. Gina Rodriguez's Jenny from the Block routine is in full swing now. Let's see who falls for it!
The Producer
