In between series like Riverdale and 13 Reasons Why, and movies To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Sierra Burgess is a Loser, Netflix have cornered the teen market. This week, the platform pulls out one of its biggest draws – heartthrob Noah Centineo – for its latest high-school rom-com, The Perfect Date. Watch the trailer below.
Centineo plays college-bound Brooks Rattigan – he certainly has the grades to get into any university he wants, if that’s all they were looking for. What Brooks lacks is substance – something he believes in or really aspires to be. He’s also short on cash.
After a paid date with straight-shooting Celia Lieberman (Laura Marano) – her dad wants someone to escort her to her school dance – Brooks and his tech-savvy offsider, Murph (Odiseas Georgiadis), launch a stand-in service. Brooks goes on dates with girls (and the odd woman) who need a plus one. It’s all very respectable, but still kind of gigolo-like. Brooks, meanwhile, has his eye on the unattainable Shelby Pace (Camila Mendes).
The Perfect Date isn’t necessarily the finest entry into the teen rom-com cannon – it’s pretty obvious where Brooks’ journey of self-realisation is headed and it falls a little flat in a couple of sections, but in other respects it’s everything you could ask for from a film of this type. (On Netflix from Fri., Apr. 12) 4 stars