Delayed Reaction: Set It Up

The Pitch: Are the cast members of Everybody Wants Some!! still likeable outside that movie?

Two executive assistants set up their demanding bosses so they can get more free time.

The only thing I've seen said about Set It Up is a tweet that went something like this:

If Set It Up came out in 1998, it would make $100 million and be fondly remembered as one of the better Romcoms from that era.

I dispute that only because, even in that era, you really needed a star like Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, or Hugh Grant to make that kind of money. As much as I personally like Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell, they are not the kind of stars to drive a successful romcom (yet). Perhaps 1998 Lucy Lui and Taye Diggs could've, but even they never had the right star wattage. And, I think people have confused how prevalent romcoms* were in the 90's with how successful they were. Only a handful of romcoms broke the top 50 in the box office each year of the 90s (fewer depending on how strictly you define "romcom"). The strength of the 90s romcom was how many there were and the recurring faces in them (just add Sandra Bullock to my earlier list). 

*By the way, I refuse to say Romantic Comedy every time. If you don't know what romcom means, then you have no business reading this post anyway.

And let's also be clear. The romcom has never really gone away. Its fall from popularity was also later than people think. Bridget Jone's Diary (2001), My Big Far Greek Wedding (2002), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), 50 First Dates (2004), Hitch (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Knocked Up (2007), What Happens in Vegas (2008), The Proposal (2009), Date Night (2010), and Crazy, Stupid Love (2011) are all top 50 hits from 2000-2011 (and there are more). It's only over the last 6-7 years that the successes have really dropped off. And even that's debatable, because the definition of romcom is pretty loose. Does Silver Linings Playbook Count? How about La La Land? Even still, people like Kevin Hart (Think Like a Man, About Last Night) and Zoe Kazan (What If?, The Big Sick) have been keeping romcoms going. These days, the romcom has essentially split in two. The "empty calories" romcom has largely moved to places like the Hallmark Channel. The ones in theaters are getting meatier (I'm looking for a better term than RomDramComs). The Big Sick and About Time are great examples of this. 

I suppose this is an overwrought way of saying that it's not a surprise to see Set It Up show up on Netflix. It would've bombed in theaters and it's too good for a TV movie fate. Releasing it on the same service that had When We First Met a couple months ago makes a lot of sense. 

For what it is, I really liked Set It Up. It's in that 90-110 minute sweet spot, It doesn't ask anything from me. The leads are likable. Glen Powell is charming but only one smirk away from being obnoxious, which he knows how to use. Zoey Deutch is just plain likable. She works hard when she does any physical comedy, can be a little sarcastic, and is able to carry herself like she doesn't realize she's the most beautiful woman in most rooms she walks into (key for a romcom lead). I've notice that she keeps playing characters who are slightly older than she actually is (Why Him?) or gets cast as the only age-appropriate actress in a group of older actors pretending to be young (Everybody Wants Some!!). I'm still trying to figure out what to make of that. The only other recent actress I remember that happening to is Emma Stone, and things have turned out pretty well for her. Deutch and Powell have great chemistry, although it's more friendly than romantic. If this ended with them as good friends with different partners, I would've been fine with that. Lucy Lui gets a few scenes in which she reminds the audience that she's a former Emmy nominee with past roles in some pretty big films and shouldn't be forgotten about just because she's turning 50. Taye Diggs attempts to be a jerk and can't maintain it for an entire scene. It's kind of like how Barney Stinson can never have a bad picture taken of him. Tituss Burgess has a weird but funnier than I expected small role too. I'm not sure that I laughed at anything in the movie, but my lips curled in a smile-like direction numerous times. That's basically a home run for a romcom.

Look, this movie has all the things that make people roll their eyes at romcoms. There's a meet-cute. I've seen more original plots in Disney Channel movies. The movie does that thing where it pretends that no one realizes how attractive the leads are. Having Deutch be the sport-obsessed character feels a little too calculated as a role-reversal. Also, the power that Lucy Lui has in her sports journalism job I don't think has existed since maybe 1998 if ever. Pete Davidson as the gay best friend is a transparent nod to being more progressive, I guess. I get all that these things and more  deserve an eye roll. This movie adds nothing significant to my movie diet.

But so does pizza, and I love pizza.

Side Note: Oh, I'm not sure where else to put this, so here will do. Apparently, the Zoey Deutch role was supposed to go to Emilia Clarke. On one hand, I'm disappointed. After watching Me Before You, I determined that Clarke would be a dynamite romcom lead, so I'm disappointed by that missed opportunity. On the other hand, I'm not sure how much the role changed since Clarke was on board, but Deutch is much better built for this role.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend