Set It Up

What's the title? Set It Up

Who directed it? Claire Scanlon

When was it released? June 15, 2018

What’s it rated? TV-14

Would I recommend it? Eh.

Look, I like rom-coms. I more than like rom-coms. I love rom-coms. Sure, the genre has had its fair share of less than stellar output, but even some of the more lacking additions to the cannon have wriggled their way into my heart. I love the black and white screwballs. I love the big 90’s tentpoles. I love the off-kilter, deconstructionist rom-coms that came out in the aughts. It makes me sad that the genre isn’t getting as much love as it used to. To be fair, most genres aren’t. Sure, the megaplex may show a couple here and there, but midbudget genre films, including the once mighty rom-com, are just not getting theatrical releases. So I was really PUMPED when Netflix announced it was releasing a back to basics, HEA guaranteed, tropey rom-com. I couldn’t wait for Set It Up to drop so I could watch it and get the warm and fuzzies. I literally counted down the days. That was probably my problem. Going into any movie with high expectations almost guarantees that it’s going to be a disappointment. Even if it’s great, if I was expecting it to be the greatest EVER, then I’m going to walk away a little letdown. I went into Set It Up expecting When Harry Met Sally and got something closer to, I don’t know, 27 Dresses. I like 27 Dresses. It’s fine. It does the job. But it’s hardly my favorite rom-com. It wouldn’t even crack my top ten. So is Set It Up a bad movie? No. Is it a particularly good movie? No. If you’re itching for a rom-com, this is definitely that, and that’s something in this day and age. If you want to watch it, by all means, watch it. I won’t try to convince you otherwise. But do I think this is the best the genre has to offer? Not even close.

What's it about? (non-spoilers) Both Harper and Charlie are assistants in New York. Both have unreasonably demanding bosses that are ruining their lives. The two hatch a scheme to match-make their employers in hopes of finally earning some free time for themselves. Shenanigans ensue.

What did you think? (spoilers) Like I mentioned above, I found Set It Up innocuous and pleasant enough. Granted, I think a large part of my issue with the film was my unreasonable expectations, but the other crux of my problem with Set It Up was that it was neither particularly romantic nor particularly comedic.

Did I occasionally chuckle? Yes. Did I find both the leads endearing? Sure. Thing is, while I remember laughing at some quips, I can’t remember what any of those quips were. As far as the leads, I liked them well enough individually. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Zoey Deutch ever since I saw her in Everybody Wants Some!!, a movie that also apparently starred Glen Powell. Powell may not have made an impression on me in Everybody Wants Some!!, but he did in this film. Both leads have plenty of charm, but at no point did I feel like these two were idiots for not getting together already because they were so obviously perfect for one another. (For me, the benchmark for a good rom-com is an intense sense of exasperation.) At most, I thought, yes, these two make good allies and friends.

Speaking of friends, something the film does well is that it gives each lead a (semi-rounded) life outside of the main romantic relationship. Harper has a slight existential crisis when her best friend, Becca, gets engaged, but she’s still super supportive of her friend, who returns the favor on multiple occasions. Charlie’s friendship with Duncan is perhaps less nuanced and turned more towards the typical “girl-friend” role in rom-coms of helping the lead realize they are with the wrong person and need to be with the other lead, but I’m fine with the slight inversion of the trope.

Then there are the crucial bosses. For all their many apparent flaws, both Rick and Kirsten get drawn as three-dimensional characters. I became deeply invested in Kirsten's story in particular. When the movie ended, I didn't want Harper's boyfriend; I wanted her boss. It was refreshing to have a rom-com where both leads are so focused on their career paths and that those paths end up taking such divergent trajectories, and yet both were presented as happy endings.

I liked that this film was both written and directed by women. I liked the cast. I liked the way the film both stuck to tried and true tropes while also deconstructing/updating some of the more cringey aspects of the genre. I just wish I had liked the movie itself more.

Images: IMDB

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