Now streaming on Netflix is the romantic comedy drama, The Perfect Find. Based on the book of the same name by Tia Williams, the movie is directed by Numa Perrier and stars Gabrielle Union, Keith Powers, Gina Torres, and D. B. Woodside.
In the film, Jenna Jones is a forty-year-old woman at a crossroads in life. Her love life is in the toilet, her mother wants her out of the house so she can have some privacy, and she’s looking for a change in career.
After approaching an old acquaintance (and frenemy), Jenna lands a new job working for a high-profile fashion magazine. That same day she celebrates her new position by going out for some drinks with friends.
While out on the town, Jenna meets a young man named Eric. Eric is in his 20s, the two are attracted to each other, and they share a brief moment of intimacy.
The next morning, Jenna is setting herself set up in her new office when her boss walks in, along with her son, Eric. Neither Eric nor Jenna admit they know each other, but once they are left alone they are able to speak more freely and acknowledge their previous encounter.
However, under the circumstances, they agree not to speak about their romantic moment together, and decide it’s best to remain friends for the sake of their work. But can they really remain friends when they have an obvious attraction to each other?
Occasionally amusing in places, and featuring decent performances from lead stars Gabrielle Union and Keith Powers, The Perfect Find is a serviceable film, which has OK-ish moments, but I’m sorry to say it’s really nothing special. The film has all the ingredients for a solid picture (a good cast, a great soundtrack, strong cinematography, etc), but it struggles to come together.
The story is paper-thin, at times it’s really choppy, and both the pacing and the tone are all over the place. Sometimes the movie plays like a gentle rom-com, sometimes it really doesn’t, and it’s never quite clear what audience this film is attempting to attract.
It also feels like parts of the story, as well as huge sections of character development, are completely missing. Characters just drop in and out, with little set up, and this creates the general sense the book has not been adapted very well and aspects of it have been rushed.
On the plus side, the soundtrack is great and Union and Powers have excellent chemistry. I could happily listen to the jukebox of tunes all day, and I’d watch the actors together again too.
However, I’d prefer to see Union and Powers share the screen in something which has a lot more focus and makes better use of their talents. They sell their characters well, and shine on screen, it’s just the film that doesn’t really work, which is of course a big issue.
Not awful, but not great, The Perfect Find is a bit of a misfire. It comes and goes with little impact and feels incredibly underwhelming (and kind of pointless).
With a few tweaks it could be better than it is, but as it stands it’s all very uneventful and disjointed. The Perfect Find is not dire, but it’s not especially enjoyable either, and it’s largely very forgettable.
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