I'm whiter than snow and squarer than Utah. Hate hiphop and am suspicious of Netflix's diversity casting - Yet - I adored this silly little romcom!
Seriously, give it a go, it's great fun. It's nearly an all black starring cast and they are all awesome! (the two paleface supporting actors gave fantastic comedic support too!)
Had no idea who Christine Milian (lead actress) was, except I saw her in another Netflix movie (which was a bit of a dud), however, she shone in that movie, so, I thought I would give this a go. I was a bit dubious, because Netflix is trying so hard to do the diversity casting thing that so many movies are not good, but just noticeable for the way they are cast.
But, this little movie is an exception, a real charmer! Sure, its a rom-com, so it's not going to win an Oscar and a lot of it's predictable. But, all of the actors are great in this, I don't just mean they can act, I mean they also have that kind of charisma that makes them all a joy to watch (and how many movies can you say that about?).
Furthermore, there is real chemistry between the different couples. Not to mention the lead actress has great chemistry with both the fellas fighting for her affections.
In fact, at the beginning I thought it would be predictable which one of the guys she would end up with, but, as the movie padded out their personalities more (a rare thing in rom-coms when usually only the leads characters are fully explored), I started to be unsure who she would end up with. Furthermore, I couldn't decide myself which of the men was cuter. I started hoping that the lead actress would opt for polyamory (Hallo Utah!)
Of course, the lead actress has a rival gal too who is fighting for one of the guy's affections also. As her character gets developed during the show you start warming to her too.
The two palefaces in the movie - Aussie bloke and French snobby lady are hilarious also.
The rest of the supporting cast add real value too, with each of them having small, but crucial humorous vignettes.
I had no idea that the lead actress, Christine Milian is a well-known singer, but, they utilised her musical talents in this movie too. As I said I am not a fan of hip-hop, I have no idea if any of what she sung was hip-hop, but I do know of Alicia Keys' No one song, Milian sung that and a few other songs and she was really superb. I loved the music. Sorry, Alicia Keys (I noted she is a producer on this movie), but I just really preferred Milian's version of No One. Maybe because she has a more pop feel to her singing, which is more my style (yep, I'm a paleface, we like our pop)
I think the director and writers should be commended too, they have taken a silly little premise and padded it up a bit to give it a bit of real depth and the music and comedy elements shone.
I won't spoil it for you, but I laughed myself silly at the "ocean rescue" part!
BTW, I have never seen a movie shot in Mauritius before - but wow what a beauty to behold is that island too!
Now, I mentioned before I am bit dubious of Netflix's diversity casting, however, I am also aware that when black people (or unknowns for that matter) make a good movie they don't have the marketing power that a Sandy Bullock etc movie would. (love a good Sandra Bullock movie by the way too, so not having a go at Sandy).
So, I really wanted to encourage fellow palefaces, like myself, to not assume this is another, in your face, diversity hire piece. This is a genuinely cute, feel-good rom-com. So, please give it a chance - and tell your friends to watch it too - because this cast and crew earned it!
Seriously, give it a go, it's great fun. It's nearly an all black starring cast and they are all awesome! (the two paleface supporting actors gave fantastic comedic support too!)
Had no idea who Christine Milian (lead actress) was, except I saw her in another Netflix movie (which was a bit of a dud), however, she shone in that movie, so, I thought I would give this a go. I was a bit dubious, because Netflix is trying so hard to do the diversity casting thing that so many movies are not good, but just noticeable for the way they are cast.
But, this little movie is an exception, a real charmer! Sure, its a rom-com, so it's not going to win an Oscar and a lot of it's predictable. But, all of the actors are great in this, I don't just mean they can act, I mean they also have that kind of charisma that makes them all a joy to watch (and how many movies can you say that about?).
Furthermore, there is real chemistry between the different couples. Not to mention the lead actress has great chemistry with both the fellas fighting for her affections.
In fact, at the beginning I thought it would be predictable which one of the guys she would end up with, but, as the movie padded out their personalities more (a rare thing in rom-coms when usually only the leads characters are fully explored), I started to be unsure who she would end up with. Furthermore, I couldn't decide myself which of the men was cuter. I started hoping that the lead actress would opt for polyamory (Hallo Utah!)
Of course, the lead actress has a rival gal too who is fighting for one of the guy's affections also. As her character gets developed during the show you start warming to her too.
The two palefaces in the movie - Aussie bloke and French snobby lady are hilarious also.
The rest of the supporting cast add real value too, with each of them having small, but crucial humorous vignettes.
I had no idea that the lead actress, Christine Milian is a well-known singer, but, they utilised her musical talents in this movie too. As I said I am not a fan of hip-hop, I have no idea if any of what she sung was hip-hop, but I do know of Alicia Keys' No one song, Milian sung that and a few other songs and she was really superb. I loved the music. Sorry, Alicia Keys (I noted she is a producer on this movie), but I just really preferred Milian's version of No One. Maybe because she has a more pop feel to her singing, which is more my style (yep, I'm a paleface, we like our pop)
I think the director and writers should be commended too, they have taken a silly little premise and padded it up a bit to give it a bit of real depth and the music and comedy elements shone.
I won't spoil it for you, but I laughed myself silly at the "ocean rescue" part!
BTW, I have never seen a movie shot in Mauritius before - but wow what a beauty to behold is that island too!
Now, I mentioned before I am bit dubious of Netflix's diversity casting, however, I am also aware that when black people (or unknowns for that matter) make a good movie they don't have the marketing power that a Sandy Bullock etc movie would. (love a good Sandra Bullock movie by the way too, so not having a go at Sandy).
So, I really wanted to encourage fellow palefaces, like myself, to not assume this is another, in your face, diversity hire piece. This is a genuinely cute, feel-good rom-com. So, please give it a chance - and tell your friends to watch it too - because this cast and crew earned it!
Tell Your Friends