We all want to hit the re-do button at some point in our lives. Heck, some of us might want to do it daily. Or hourly. (You get the idea.) Hollywood has played with the concept of hitting the reset button and getting a second chance in films over and over again. Look no further than theBill MurrayclassicGroundhog Dayor 2020’s wacky, lovely time-loop comedyPalm SpringswithAndy SambergandCristin Milioti. Clearly, us mere mortals have a desire to push our limits and strive for the most impossible and subjective thing: perfection.Meet Cute, the latest project to step into the ring of the re-do, is surely an entertaining addition to this type of storytelling. But should this film really be considered a rom-com?
Meet Cuteopens with a close-up on Sheila (Kaley Cuoco), the unofficial protagonist in a film with really only two characters, walking down the street in slow-motion. In a matter of seconds, her face wears a series of emotions (confidence, fear, regret, arrogance) which perfectly sums up this character’s fragile trajectory. She’s already been through a lot—both emotionally and physically—which she will repeatedly catch you up on with varying levels of honesty as the story progresses. She walks into a bar filled with rowdy sports fans hooting and hollering at the television screens for what is apparently a big deal, though she isn’t the least bit interested. And neither is Gary (Pete Davidson), the quiet, horizontal-stripe-loving lad at the bar whose back is deliberately to all the action. His eyes are on the coasters he’s doodling on, and Sheila’s eyes are on him. Love at first sight? Not really.
The charm of this film is that this isn’t Sheila’s first rodeo. She’s actually been in this very moment with these very people several (and eventually hundreds) of times. And she reveals all of that to Gary rather quickly, right after she awkwardly tells him she’s buying an “alcoholic beverage” and asks if he wants one, too. There was really no risk of rejection here, because Sheila knows exactly what Gary’s going to say. She knew his name was Gary, she knew he’d order an Old Fashioned, as well as a number of other specifics that only she could know. Sheila explains that she’s actually from the future, specifically 24 hours in the future, and has been reliving this first date—their meet cute—over and over. As expected, Gary doesn’t quite buy it, but he does play along with this mystery woman’s bizarre claims. Things get even odder when Sheila finally details how she was even able to get into this situation in the first place. She explains to Gary (on what is the viewer’s first date with them) that she was having agreatday, and decided to get her nails done. She went to the bathroom and low and behold, there was a tanning bed. Well, it sure looked like one, but Sheila learns from the delightfully stoic June (Deborah S. Craig) that it’s actually a time machine. And so, she has been using it to go back in time and relive the “perfect” date she had with Gary.
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This movie thrives when it focuses on Sheila and Gary’s connection and their awkward, charming “get to know you” banter (even though Sheila supposedly knows everything about Gary) carefully crafted by writerNoga Pnueli. It’s clear these two are a good match for each other, not necessarily romantically, but as best friends. Their conversations and behavior playfully ride the line between being flirtatious and making fun of each other the way two long-time pals would do. They bond over their mutual fair shares of trauma, and the glimmering moments of hope in a bleak world that restore their faith in humanity.Meet Cutesteeps much longer in the existential dread of it all than a typical rom-com to really be considered a “rom-com,” which is a bit unexpected considering Cuoco and Davidson are primarily known for their work in the comedy arena. Fortunately, the two actors know how to handle the darker moments just as well. Davidson’s turn as the shy, insecure, squeaky-clean guy was very refreshing and is perhaps his best performance to date. Cuoco effortlessly leans into some of the absurdity and anchors Sheila’s more grounded moments of despair. Let’s also not breeze pastHari Nef’s expertly deadpan and eerily-accurate summation of artisanal food spots in New York City.
The film tackles a number of heavy topics that are typically not found in the more conventional “girl meets boy” stories that have come before it. The playful premise acts as a Trojan horse of sorts to get the meatof this meet-cute story, much of which cannot be revealed in this review. There are a number of developments throughout the film that quickly prove that Sheila is a very unreliable protagonist, which both keeps the story interesting and feels a bit repetitive. After the first two times Sheila tells Gary that she needs to “come clean” about stuff before she admits she’s been lying about some things, it starts to lose its effect.
At times, the story doesn’t quite know what to do with the time travel. Of course, no one in the movie is claiming to be a time travel expert, and it’s probably fair to say that directorAlex Lehmannand the other creatives involved aren’t trying (or hoping) to be time travel whizzes, either. Sheila even questions the logic behind it in the beginning and June shrugs it off, which is more of a wink to the audience to not overthink the time-travel “rules” presented. That being said, it’s still a little distracting. Sheila claims to know everything Gary is going to say, but then would sometimes be genuinely surprised and truly taken aback by something Gary says. If she went back to relive the perfect night over and over (after making some controversial changes to Gary’s timeline), why is she only able to predict certain things like hisSophie’s Choicejoke and his drink of choice, but not others?
By the end of the film, you will have taken a much darker ride than you probably anticipated. The tone is hard to pin down as it tries to balance the silly inclusion of time travel with the more complex themes of trauma.Meet Cuteconveys a great message about how weareour trauma and that removing it wouldn’t solve all—or even any—of our problems. In fact, removing it would actually strip away the beautiful imperfections that make us who we are. If you don’t stress over the logistics of time travel and are willing to appreciate the “deeper meanings” that are on full display, then check out this beautifully shot love letter to the messiness of New York City and life itself.
