Netflix continues its prosperous streak with modern yet cliché rom-coms upon the release of their newest original film, Someone Great. As the directorial debut of Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who also wrote the film, it’s a substantial addition to the family.

The film starts with aspiring musical journalist Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) obtaining an exciting job offer with Rolling Stone magazine that requires her to relocate across the country and away from everything crucial in her life. Her boyfriend of nine years, Nate (Lakeith Stanfield), ultimately decides to end their relationship when he concludes that long distance won’t work out between them. Jenny is devastated, as her whole life falls apart when Nate breaks up with her. After dating someone for nine years, things start to feel like second nature with them; so when your partner suddenly ends that relationship with you after building something for so long, there is every reason to be heartbroken.

As every woman should when she’s going through a breakup, Jenny turns to her best gal pals Blair (Brittany Snow) and Erin (DeWanda Wise) for comfort and support. They embark on a crazy adventure that goes from pouring out their feelings to drinking and smoking pot while they set off for one last hurrah in New York City before Jenny moves away. There are many things to love about this film, Someone Great’s all female and diverse lead cast and bubble gum cinematography being some of the main things that drew me in. There’s even a cameo from RuPaul who plays the girls’ pot dealer and a scene where Blair professes her love for Lady Bird. Now, which young woman can’t relate to that in 2019?

While not all of us have gone through breakups similar to the one depicted in Somone Great, there will be many aspects of the film that young women will relate to. As both writer and director, Robinson was able to achieve what most movies can’t - she created a crew in which the majority are female, and she told a personal story while casting women of color in leading roles. She created a film that was way more than your typical romantic comedy that Netflix produces and that genuinely surprised me. Someone Great is just as much about women supporting women as it’s about a woman finding, choosing and loving herself.

Adding to the list of endearing things about this film, it features hits from Lorde, Phoebe Bridgers, and Frank Ocean, making it one of the best film soundtracks I’ve heard so far this year. The best part about the film by far is its millennial-ized script and strong performances by the leads, which couldn’t have been successful without its director. The plot is lacking in many areas which made the pacing of the film drag on and on, making the 90-minute film feel much longer.

 Someone Great isn’t a cinematic masterpiece by any means, it’s still a fun and relatable film that I had a relatively good time watching. In so many romance films or films in general that have female leads, the woman almost always turns her whole world around after she goes through a breakup or becomes an entirely different person. Sometimes these films tell us that we need to change who we are after someone tells us we aren’t the one for them. Someone Great is not that film; it shows us that it’s okay to be messy and that we don’t always have to be perfect. People break up, and life goes on, sometimes women don’t have their shit together - and that’s okay.

Someone Great will be available to stream on Netflix starting April 19th.

★★★½

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