Netflix’s newest teen rom-com, The Half of It, is a well-written film with an entertaining plot, beautiful cinematography and loveable characters. Although the latter half of the film is not as great as the first, it is still an enjoyable movie that is worth your time.
In a small town in Washington, a smart social outcast named Ellie (Leah Lewis) spends her last year of high school making extra money by writing her peers’ English papers and working at the railroad station. Her life takes an unexpected turn when football player Paul (Daniel Diemer) asks her to write love letters on his behalf for Aster (Alexxis Lemire), the most popular girl in school. Ellie obliges, and after writing letters back and forth with Aster, realises that she has feelings for her too.
One of the best things about this film is the direction from Alice Wu, whose directorial style and voice reflect her own life experiences. Wu portrays the fictional small town of Squamish realistically, showing both the beauty and flaws of living in a small town. She captures the warmth of the town with shots of picturesque forests lit in the glow of fall. Wu also confronts current issues in the story such as economic inequality, homophobia and xenophobia that Ellie and her father, a Chinese immigrant, face in their daily lives. Her focus on these issues gives the story depth, differing from the typical rom-com. However, the story still creates a pleasant balance with light and humorous moments.
The story’s strength comes from the characters, who defy stereotypes and all have different, likeable, personalities. Most of the relationships in the movie are developed well; for example, the friendship that develops between Paul and Ellie is sweet and genuine. Diemer and Lewis play their dynamic relationship very well. Their relationship is complex because they are two very different people, but they are still able to connect over their shared life experiences, such as living in Squamish their whole lives and having adorable, yet awkward, personalities.
The only disappointing part of this movie is the ending, where some of the plotlines are dropped and the ones that stick have resolutions that are less than satisfying. Characters are introduced in the first half only to be left out of the ending altogether. But since the rest of the story is so good, I think that the ending can be forgiven. If you can get past the crummy ending, The Half of It is worth watching for its unique narrative, inventive direction and amazing characters. What makes it special is that it is a rom-com without cliches, and a representational one at that.
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
