The Case for Rom-Coms: Set It Up (2018)
Courtesy of Netflix
Rom-coms too often get a bad wrap. They’re seen as “less than” or predictable, people think they’re “mushy” or “girly” or overly romantic. But I’m here to tell you right now that rom-coms are a genre worth fighting for, even more so during the modern age. Let me disclaim that there’s nothing wrong with rom-coms that don’t shoot as high as Set It Up does. I’ve enjoyed almost every rom-com I’ve ever seen, from Leap Year to 27 Dresses, and many of them are comfort movies that I revisit often. But Set It Up breathes new life into the genre and it couldn’t be more welcome in 2020.
Set It Up is a romantic comedy directed by Claire Scanlon and written by Katie Silberman of Booksmart and Isn’t It Romantic fame. Although it’s her feature directorial debut, Scanlon has an impressive resume of television under her belt, including episodes of GLOW, Fresh Off the Boat, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Zoey Deutch (Vampire Academy, Before I Fall, Flower) stars as overworked intern Harper who dreams of being a sports journalist and works for the best of them, Kirsten Stevens (Lucy Liu). In the same building, Charlie Young, played by Glen Powell (Scream Queens, Hidden Figures), works as an intern for one of the most successful venture capitalists in New York, played by Taye Diggs. When the two run into each other working after hours in their shared office building, they gradually become friends and decide to set their bosses up with each other to win some free time for themselves.
On paper, this sounds like your standard rom-com, but Scanlon and Silberman manage to make it so much more than the predictable fluff of rom-coms past. The biggest reason for this is Silberman’s writing. Every character feels fully dimensional, intelligent, and fun and it’s truly a joy to spend 100 minutes with them. Zoey Deutch’s Harper is a refreshing breath of fresh air in the rom-com universe. She’s an ambitious but sensitive aspiring sports journalist who wants to touch people with her writing, and Deutch has a smile that truly can light up a room. Lucy Liu’s Kirsten Stevens is a take-no-prisoners type of boss, who worked her way up as an Asian American woman in a male-dominated field and will not apologize for it. It’s incredible to see such varied representation in a film and the fact that both female leads are more into sports than the two male leads is the icing on the cake.
The movie wouldn’t work half as well as it does if it weren’t for its two leads. Powell and Deutch are dynamite together. Their banter is believable and Powell is so charismatic and charming. You buy every interaction they have and their relationship begins with a genuine friendship. While this is a fresh rom-com, it’s still a rom-com nonetheless so I don’t think it’s a surprise for me to say that, while their characters do end up together at the end of the movie, it feels earned and realistic. It doesn’t feel like two flat characters being pushed together for the sake of a happy ending.
Not only do Powell and Deutch have incredible chemistry, but the rest of the cast does as well. Pete Davidson and Meredith Hagner both play supporting roles as Powell and Deutch’s roommates and best friends respectively, and they add heart and comic relief. The relationship between Deutch and Hagner’s characters especially feels entirely authentic--Silberman displays the perfect balance of tough love and glowing adoration that tends to grow in long term friendships. Davidson plays Powell’s roommate and friend Duncan, and although Duncan is gay, it never seems like a stereotype or caricature and his sexuality isn’t the entirety of his character in the film. There are intersecting relationships forming between characters, much like real life. Characters aren’t isolated in their worlds, and Harper and Charlie have meaningful interactions with every other character.
I watched Set It Up on a whim when it debuted on Netflix in 2018 and was intending to put it on as a background movie, but it quickly sucked me in. It was an unexpected delight. It’s simple but charming and knows exactly what it’s doing and does it well. I wouldn’t quite say it’s a rom-com “with a twist” because it isn’t. The formula is still there, and the driving force of two people falling in love is there, but it’s the best possible example of what a rom-com should be. Since 2018 we’ve gotten a few of them--most recently Palm Springs--but I would love to see more rom-coms follow the Set It Up model. Maybe then people will finally give rom-coms the respect they deserve.