Someone Great

Streaming: Netflix
Warnings:
Drugs
Sex
Explicit Language
Rating: R

  Someone Great is a romantic comedy about a woman who decides to pursue a career opportunity of a lifetime, but that means she loses her long term boyfriend, this sparks her journey of self-reflection and growth with the support of her friends. The chemistry between the actors is vibrant and showcases healthy relationships between women. Although the film’s focus is about a breakup for Gina Rodriguez’s character Jenny Young, and Lakeith Stanfield’s character Nate Davis, the film portrays how women can support each other through a difficult time. It also changes the focus of Rodriguez’s character; her life no longer revolves around a man but instead she is focusing on her own career and personal growth. Someone Great isn’t the most memorable film, nor is it the most unique film out there, but for what it is, it’s certainly an entertaining, romantic story that shows how women don’t always have to rely on men to learn who they are. One particular thing that is relative about this film is that it’s a part of a new form of romantic comedies that will be produced more often in the future in result of political correctness. Someone Great portrays complex female characters which isn’t always the case in romantic comedies. It also shows that a woman can rely on other women rather than chase after a man, even if she misses him. With that being said, even though this film isn’t an original concept, the film does a good job showcasing female relationships, a new perspective of romantic comedies, and the writing was not bad at all either.

            The first thing to focus on is the nod to feminism, there are coffee mugs, t-shirts, and other objects in the film that refer to intersectional feminism. At one point of the film Gina Rodriguez is wearing a shirt that says “Latina AF,” this might not seem like a big deal, but this representation matters, especially in Hollywood. Oftentimes Latinas are not portrayed as intelligent, and usually they are hypersexualized in the media. One relatively recent example of this is a skit that was written by Lena Dunham for SNL called, “The Jewelry Party.” In the skit, a gorgeous “Latina,” (played by Cecily Strong – not a Latina) was accompanied by her men’s rights activist boyfriend to a Jewelry party thrown by only middle to upper-class white women. This skit was offensive and blatantly racist, Cecily Strong’s character was so naive that she didn’t realize that her men’s rights activist boyfriend was a “bad guy” and she bragged that he shut down a planned parenthood. It’s unfortunate that these types of representations still happen often in our media and positive representations of actual Latinas are important for that reason.

            The script is an interesting part of the film, the dialogue is very natural and adds to the chemistry that the three main characters have. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is the writer for Someone Great, besides writing she is also an actress, director, and producer. She created and produced the show Sweet/Vicious for MTV which premiered in 2016 and ran for one season before unfortunately being cancelled. Someone Great is the first feature film where Robinson was the writer and director. In the near future she is set to write, direct, and produce a Center Stage TV series. Hopefully we see more feminist films from her in the near future as well.

            The acting is truly what carries the film, Gina Rodriguez, Brittany Snow, and DeWanda Wise have clear chemistry and it wouldn’t be shocking to learn they are friends in real life. One critic from Rotten Tomatoes states, “What Someone Great Lacks in originality it makes up for relatability and charm, thanks in large to the undeniable chemistry between its talented leads.” This is certainly true, and it doesn’t hurt that the leads are well known for other feminist roles in media like Jane the Virgin, Pitch Perfect and She’s Gotta Have It. It just goes to show that these women are working towards more positive representation in Hollywood, and they are creating steppingstones for more women to flourish in the future.

            Even though Someone Great isn’t the most original film, it is refreshing to see a romantic comedy with feminist elements in it. It is also positive that more lead roles for women of color are being supported on platforms like Netflix, without mass audiences seeing women of color in lead roles, change wouldn’t happen as quickly. Someone Great certainly doesn’t fall far from the original romantic comedy tropes that came before it, but the fact that the representation within that romantic comedy has changed, is a big step. If you wish to view a romantic comedy without the usually prevalent “male gaze”, I highly recommend this film.

The Photograph

Streaming: HBO
Warnings:
Sex
Strong Language
Rating: PG-13

  The Photograph is a dramatic romance that follows an estranged daughter of a famous photographer who falls in love with a journalist who is researching her mother’s life for a story. This film is a love story for the ages, it intertwines the past and present to show two different romances. Written and directed by Stella Meghie, the film takes the audience on a beautiful journey that is playful and passionate. Meghie is known for her direction of television series including Grown-ish, Insecure and First Wives Club. She is currently set to direct the Whitney Houston biopic called, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which is set to be released in 2022. The film stars Issa Rae, LaKeith Stanfield, Y’lan Noel, Chanté Adams, Lil Rel Howrey, and Marsha Stephanie Blake. The Photograph is a film that is not necessarily comparable to other romantic films. The film has a more modern approach and its distinctive because of the writing, acting and the music. The Photograph is a more in-depth type of romantic film that most audiences are not used to and that is what makes the storyline convincing and appealing.

The writing is well done and allows the audience to understand the characters as they are. The characters are complex, and specifically the women are portrayed in a positive light without the male gaze tarnishing their personality traits. This is important to mention because in many romantic films, the woman’s only goal is to find a male counterpart however in this film, Issa Rae’s character Mae Morton doesn’t revolve her life around the pursuit of a man. In addition to that, Mae’s character doesn’t have to “fix” LaKeith Stanfield’s character Michael Block in any way. Both Mae and Michael are successful and well-adjusted throughout the film which is something that is unique to a romantic drama. In addition to that, both characters are not willing to compromise their own career goals for each other, many romantic dramas involve someone giving up on a goal for their significant other which isn’t practical to real life concerns. The Photograph portrays romance in a more authentic manner which is what makes the film engaging to watch.

The acting from Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield is something to praise, they both portray the characters authentically and they each have clear goals for themselves. On Rotten Tomatoes the critics consensus states, “Gorgeous visuals, an affecting love story, and simmering chemistry between Issa Rae and LeKeith Stanfield keep The Photograph solidly in focus.” It is also important to note the roles of Ylan Noel who plays Young Isaac Jefferson, and Chanté Adams who plays Young Christine Eames, both do a wonderful job showing how their characters are struggling and connecting them to their older selves. In general, the film takes the audience on a heartfelt journey that is unexpected and sincere.

Since The Photograph is partially based in New Orleans and partially based in New York, it is important to comment on the musical score. The film changes from different types of jazz from scene to scene, each type highlighting the location and the emotion of the moment perfectly. Robert Andre Glasper who is an American jazz pianist, record producer, songwriter and musical arranger created the musical soundtrack for the film. Glasper is an award-winning musician and it certainly shows consistently in the film. Glasper claims that the music of Miles Davis has had a significant influence of his style as a musician. He states, “I’m obviously influenced by Miles Davis – even just the psyche of how he thinks about music… how he moves through and always wanted to reflect the times he’s in. That’s what I’m doing now. He opened that door.” This interest shows through the music chosen for the film as well as how the jazz changes from New York to New Orleans. The music is a really strong part of the film and it certainly adds to the success.

Most romantic dramas fall flat because of their lack of complex characters, their inattention to musical detail and their absence of complex writing however, The Photograph has all three of these elements. It creates two storylines that allow multiple characters to show their own truth while showcasing that romance doesn’t have to completely blow up a person’s life. This film is a practical romance that considers both the male character and the female character’s wants and needs rather than the usual “damsel in distress” approach. This approach is what made the film interesting and effective. I highly recommend this film if you are interested in watching a romantic drama with a feminist lens.