Fall in Love with the Rules of Falling in Love
Have plans this Weekend?
If not, I have a great movie suggestion: Meet Cute in Manhattan.
I was provided the opportunity to see the film in advance for the purpose of review.
All opinions are mine. It is my Universe, after all.
What's a Meet-Cute?
A "meet-cute" is the distinct moment when the intended romantic couple meets in a rom-com. It is often awkward and sets the two off in a series of events that will eventually lead them together, often after pushing them apart.
A meet-cute is also one of the "rules" that rom-coms follow. This cute new film not only follows these rules but also comments on many of them, most notably the meet-cute. The film centers on Jason Lin played by writer-producer Terence Chen. His three-part title leads us to one of the most unique qualities of this film. Much of the film has a meta quality reflecting on Terence's life as an artist. His meet-cute is with Nora (Kendall Leary), although he already has a girlfriend named Chloe (Amanda Shi), an Insta-influencer. Chloe couldn't attend an audition as his real girlfriend, so Nora pretended in her stead. I am pretty sure you know what happened next. Comedic chaos ensued.
Thus the Rules.
Film genres have tenets or "rules" that they follow. A classic meta example of explaining the rules inside a film would be the genius original "Scream" films. Not only did they follow the rules of classic slasher films while "teaching" the audience, it created an entire new genre of horror film. To this day, I find the first two films of the franchise among the most clever and fun films I have seen of any genre, pulling from many expected reactions while always keeping the audience guessing.
"Meet Cute in Manhatten" is no horror film and a smaller film, but it has the same love of the genre painted all over it with Easter Eggs hidden throughout. If you love Rom-Coms, you will love how much this film loves them.
I don't wish to spoil the fun, so I shall leave it there. It's fun, and I highly suggest a watch! It's available on streaming services, including Prime.
I did, however, get to talk with the two terrific leads and the wonderful director. I hope you will check it out.