Set It Up almost feels like a movie out of its time, like it should’ve come out in the early-to-mid 2000s, make about $80 to $100 million at the box office, and already be a staple in the rom-com genre. It seems to odd to see one of these come out in 2018, unceremoniously released by Netflix because that is what they do, playing most of the genre tropes, complete with a New York setting and a third act airport confrontation, with a reasonable earnestness, and have it all actually work.
Though, I am getting a bit ahead of myself here. The film itself is about two overworked assistants, Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell), who decide to team up in order to get some much needed time for themselves by hatching a plan to get their respective bosses, Kirsten (Lucy Liu) and Rick (Taye Diggs), to fall in love with each other.
If you were to take that description and told to create a rough guess as to how the movie will turn out beat for beat, you would probably get pretty close. The film isn’t very interested in bringing in any significant surprises, or breaking the mold. However, I don’t see that as a bad thing because literally no one watches a rom-com for plot, and by extension, the movie is all about the characters, which it excels in bringing to life.
Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell, who were previously together in Everybody Wants Some!!, are a joy to watch together with their exceptional comic timing, and an almost Old Hollywood rhythm to the way they talk to/at/around each other. But it’s not all relied on chemistry alone. There is a solid foundation for their characters that informs the way they see things, which comes into play more as the film goes on. Harper is committed to serving Kirsten for her sports website so that she can one day have an article published. Charlie has devoted years doing everything Rick tells him to in order to get himself promoted and rise in the ranks of corporate ladder, which would not only make him happy, but also his model girlfriend, Suze (Joan Smalls). Their story occasionally touches upon some interesting subtext about capitalism and the economic hierarchy always serving the haves over the have-nots, despite the have-nots going out of their way to perform every draining and exhausting task for seemingly nothing. However, this theme never feels fully formed.
It’s also worth noting that Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs are also a blast to watch. Both of them carry that confident swagger you would expect from the kind of “boss from hell” character that they play, but they do get moments to be more human than that. I hoped that the movie would explore how being an Asian woman and a black man in a predominantly white, male space informs their characters, but aside from one admittedly hilarious sequence between Kirsten and Harper that involves an extensive use of the word “cunt,” the movie doesn’t quite dig as deep into the interesting casting as I think it could have. I also like how the film is able to bring some personality to the smaller characters who pop up on occasion, such as Tituss Burgess’ Creepy Tim, who helps Harper and Charlie by stopping the elevator in order to generate Kirsten and Rick’s meet-cute, or the waiter played by Jeff Hiller, who is annoyed at Harper constantly coming in an ordering the complimentary chips and water and nothing else.
The film is written by Katie Silberman and directed by Claire Scanlon, and it’s clear that they have a lot of affinity for the genre and the many classics it has brought. It’s reference points range from Cyrano De Bergerac to The Parent Trap, specifically the Lindsay Lohan version. The script walks a fine line between being aware of what it’s doing without going full blown meta, which also makes its familiar plotting easier to swallow. Plus, there are some updates to certain elements such as having a very diverse New York, the female characters get to be just as complex as the male, and in the patient, methodical way Harper and Charlie’s friendship evolves.
A few minor quibbles aside, Set It Up is the kind of rom-com that reminds you why you loved rom-coms to begin with, and it’s been a while since we got a film like this that kept its ambitions modest, unlike say, The Big Sick, which, while great, still has far more going on than a straightforward romance. It’s nice to see something from this genre that keeps things simple and comfortable, but given the kind of polish, and charm that many recent attempts have been lacking, which is why – as I mentioned at the start of this – it feels like a relic of the past. It’s smart, witty, heartwarming, pretty much everything you would want from a movie like this. It’s a shame it’s not playing in theaters, but on the bright side, since it’s on Netflix, you can cuddle up with your loved ones, and enjoy. Or you can be like me, and just watch it by yourself with some ice cream by your side.