REVIEW: The Perfect Find With Leave You Swooning For More Than Just Love
Gabrielle Union returns for another romantic comedy, and this time she has something to prove. In The Perfect Find, directed by Numa Perrier, the audience is introduced to the extremely talented public figure Jenna Jones (Union), who recently suffered a very public break-up with her boyfriend of 10 years. Now, Jones must now figure out what her next step will be and try and restart her life. Due to her previous relationship, she has not only been without a career for too long, but she must also begin navigating the dating scene as a 40 year old woman. With nowhere else to go, Jenna reaches out to her frenemy, Darcy (Gina Torres) to help her rebrand her beauty brand. It is here she comes face to face with the much younger videographer, Eric (Keith Powers). When sparks fly, Jenna must decide what she really wants out of her life and if Eric will have a place in it.
Based on the novel by Tia Williams, this movie has everything you would want out of a rom-com. A great looking cast, a beautiful setting, New York City, and a fun story with two twists. One predictable, though predictable, the other twist most certainly is not. It’s clever and adds another layer to the film. Director Perrier and Union, who produced the movie, manage to shed new light on a storyline not often used in rom-coms, how does an “older” woman restart her career and love life. It’s refreshing and a great concept for a romantic comedy. Perrier and screenplay writer, Leigh Davenport, deliver a eye catching, empowering romantic comedy, but don’t go in expecting some in-depth character analysis. This is exactly what it is suppose to be, a romance and comedy. Nothing more, nothing less.
Besides the story, we must take a moment to appreciate the beautiful costumes featured in every scene of the film. Costume Designer Amit Gajwani and Perrier seamlessly worked together to drawn viewers to each piece of clothing worn by the characters, no matter who was wearing it. The pieces helped the audience get a better understanding of the person wearing them without being a distraction. Whether it was Jenna approaching Darcy for a job or Eric confronting his mom, each outfit was picked with purpose, and flowed beautifully with the characters.
Union does a wonderful job leading this movie. It’s hard to imagine anyone would want to breakup with Gabrielle Union, but there would be no movie if someone didn’t. Torres’ steps in as Union’s counterpart and these two are a joy to watch on screen together. They bring the best out of each other which leads to some really enjoyable scenes. Powers has come a long way since his Freeform days, and is just as good as Torres alongside Union. The sparks fly from the second they are on screen together and don’t stop until the credits end.
The Perfect Find is definitely a fun rom-com to check out this weekend. You will not be disappointed with Union and Perrier’s adaptation of Williams’ novel. I do, though, recommend reading the book as well. There are some scenes missing that were featured in the book, and the book provides a little more insight into each character. That is always the hardest part of a book to movie adaptation, but Perrier doesn’t let that stop her from creating an entertaining rom-com.
Grade: B