A couple weekends ago, I had just moved into my new apartment. It was sparsely furnished, let alone decorated, and I was close to losing my mind while unpacking all my clothes. Tired and completely drained, I did what all college students and Gen-Z’ers would do: I queued up Netflix. Who knew I was about to watch one of my favorite movies of the year? At first, the options from my list weren’t grabbing my attention, and I was about to curse the Netflix algorithm once again when my eyes landed on Someone Great. I saw the trailer countless times, courtesy of Youtube ads, and I knew it was something I wanted to watch. Instead of putting it off to watch with my friends as I had for the whole summer, I hit play. Based on the title of this article, you already know my reaction – I loved Someone Great.
The best thing about Someone Great is the cast. Since when have women and their friendships been at the forefront of a rom-com? Never. And it’s about time! Gina Rodriguez, Brittany Snow and Wanda DeWise make up the core cast of three best friends, Jenny, Blair and Erin. The situations they get themselves into range from the everyday – bumping into someone you don’t want to see, lip-synching to “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo, trying on clothes or shopping – to the “that would never happen to me” – meeting up with a drug dealer named Hype (RuPaul Charles) to get some top of the line drugs for the EDM concert they’re going to later that night. Through it all, the movie is heartfelt and hilarious, mostly due to the leading ladies’ wonderful performances and off the charts chemistry. Without them, the movie would be nothing. But with them, the movie is a hilarious, nuanced and – at times – a heartbreaking ode to your twenties, friendship and love.
The other aspect that pushes Someone Great into the “best of the year” category is how the movie subverts romantic comedy tropes. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good rom-com, but sometimes the genre can become repetitive. You know you’re watching a bad rom-com if you feel like you’ve seen the movie before, if the characters and plot are interchangeable. Someone Great stands out because it is the only one of its kind. Rather than focus on a new couple falling in love, Someone Great takes place after the soul-wrenching breakup. You might be thinking, “But isn’t this a rom-com? Where’s the love?” Well, don’t you worry! Someone Great does track Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) and Nate’s (Lakeith Stanfield) relationship, but the focus really isn’t on them. The movie is about growing up, moving on and, through it all, having friends by your side. Yeah, you might pine for Jenny and Nate to get back together, but the real love story is among Jenny, Blair and Erin. Their friendship is fun, heartfelt and messy; it’s real. Someone Great isn’t your classic take on a rom-com, and that’s what makes it so good.
While I was watching Someone Great, I laughed, I cried, I rallied and I ached. If a movie can make me feel so strongly, can inspire me to write a whole post about it, then it’s a damn good movie.
We still have two major rom-coms to be released this year – A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby, which is the third in a series of films on Netflix, and Last Christmas starring Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians). It doesn’t seem like either will reach the comedic heights nor the profound emotion that makes Someone Great not only the best rom-com of the year, but one of the best I’ve seen.