Against an orange background the title is in white letters with the stars names above in darker orange font and Searchlight Pictures in the same font. At the Bottom of the frame are Dom and Yas. Dom is looking at Yas out of the corner of his ye with a half smile and Yas is looking at the camera without smiling.

RYE LANE (2023): A Glorious Rom-Com with Some Frenetic Editing

These two things are true: I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed the romantic comedy Rye Lane (2023), but the somewhat frenetic editing, especially at the beginning, put me off to such a degree that I almost stopped watching. Just like one person’s tired clichés can be another's comforting throughlines, one person's edifying artistic interjections can be another's … Continue reading RYE LANE (2023): A Glorious Rom-Com with Some Frenetic Editing

Zeynep wearing a red dress riding a bike, caught in profile against the backdrop of the Croatian seaside. At the top is the title in red and the N from Netlix.

FARAWAY (2023): A Rom-Com That Says, Hell Yes Women Get Better With Age

The trailer makes Faraway (2023) look like it's going to be your standard Netflix assembly-line rom-com, written with the help of a random cliché generator, but it is, in fact, a much  more unique, nuanced, and tender story about a middle-aged woman finding happiness, and yes, a second chance at love in the process. Please … Continue reading FARAWAY (2023): A Rom-Com That Says, Hell Yes Women Get Better With Age

Short Reviews: MAJA MA (2022), SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW (2023), I’M TOTALLY FINE (2023)

MAJA MA (2022) SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW (2023) I'M TOTALLY FINE (2022) MAJA MA (2022) I enjoyed this bittersweet and intimate look at sexuality, bias, and cultural expectations through the lens of a devoted, dedicated, and diligent wife and mother.  Tejas Patel (Ritwik Bhowmik) is very excited to get engaged to his Indian-American girlfriend … Continue reading Short Reviews: MAJA MA (2022), SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW (2023), I’M TOTALLY FINE (2023)

Split top and bottom screen of Debbie and Peter lying on pillows, both smiling looking at camera. In the center are words in yellow Your Place or Mine.

YOUR PLACE OR MINE (2023): I’ll Just Stay Home, Thanks

Hello? Netflix customer service? Yes, I'm calling to let you know about a glitch with Your Place or Mine (2023), one of your recent rom-coms . What? Yes, that's right. The one with Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher. Exactly. It's just that you seem to have left out all the "romantic" and the "comedy" bits … Continue reading YOUR PLACE OR MINE (2023): I’ll Just Stay Home, Thanks

Ezra, Amira and their parents sitting their living room together. Text: the main Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Eddie Murphy. Directed by Kenya Barris, Written by Jonah Hill & Kenya Barris. YOU PEOPLE. Opposites attract, families don't.

YOU PEOPLE (2023): This Didn’t Go The Way I Thought It Would

You know the expression, You can't see the forest for the trees? Well, this movie feels like You can't see the plot or the point for the dated jokes and in-your-face attempts at humor. While You People has the potential to raise some interesting points about race and relationships in America through the guise of … Continue reading YOU PEOPLE (2023): This Didn’t Go The Way I Thought It Would