Film Review: 'Set It Up'

Being an office assistant can be a hectic job, and this can definitely be said for the protagonists of this recent addition to Netflix's recent string of romance-centric original films. Aspiring writer Harper (Zoey Deutch) works as an assistant to revered sports journalist Kirsten Stevens (Lucy Liu), while Charlie (Glen Powell a.k.a one of the best parts of Scream Queens) works for notoriously short-tempered and domineering financial manager Rick Otis (Taye Diggs). Both overworked by the strain of satisfying their respective boss's demands, Harper and Charlie are desperate for an escape.

And Harper manages to find a solution thanks in part to her and Charlie's mutual commitment to their bosses: setting their bosses up to fall in love, thus giving them more time to relax. While their plans start out rough, Kirsten and Rick gradually begin to hit it off—with Harper and Charlie subsequently bonding as well. But soon, Harper sees a different side of Rick and realizes that her and Charlie's plot wasn't as benevolent as they initially believed...and the two will have to fix things to protect their jobs, bosses, and their own budding relationship.

After reading that synopsis, most will be able to tell where the story is going without even watching all the way. But for all of its retreading of the standard rom-com formula, Set It Up offers a few nice twists on the usual genre tropes. Harper and Charlie's attempt to replicate a "Meet Cute" moment ends in comedic disaster, and the film's conclusion includes a few nice subversions of the typical "racing to the airport" rom-com ending. The film's third act also makes a point of bringing up that, whatever their intentions were, Harper and Charlie's plan to manipulate two people in falling in love was not right, with the film showing the consequences each have to deal with as a byproduct. This all gives Set It Up an unexpected charm that gives it an edge over other films that follow a similar plot.

The movie's talented cast, however, is where much of Set It Up's charm is found. Zoey Deutch exudes charm and likability as frustrated assistant Harper and is also a realistic depiction of the struggle of trying to begin a writing career. Glen Powell is similarly charming and plays Charlie with amazing flair, allowing him and Deutch to balance each other's characters with ease. Lucy Liu, meanwhile, plays Kirsten with satisfying depth, showing that beneath her "Ice Queen Boss" demeanor, there's a career woman who wants to help others achieve her success.

On the downside, Taye Diggs' portrayal of Rick leaves a lot to be desired, with Rick's over-the-top tantrums being annoying rather than funny or character building. Rick's actions within the film's final act are also abrupt (happening almost 20 minutes before the movie's conclusion) and inconsistent with his character from early in the film, making it appear that it was simply added to give the film a final conflict to deal with to fill up runtime. The film's second act also slows down more than it needs to in order to establish a bond between Charlie and Harper, though it is salvaged by Meredith Hagner and Pete Davidson's portrayals of Harper and Charlie's respective best friends and roommates, with the former having a moment with Harper regarding her writing ambitions that establishes her as more than just a "Heroine's Free-Spirited Best Friend" archetype.

Overall, while it's not the type of movie that will appeal to everyone, Set It Up is a fairly enjoyable romantic comedy that has a few elements that help avoid it from being horrendously cliche or nauseatingly cheesy (apart from an ending that anyone familiar with rom-coms will anticipate before even starting the movie). Set It Up is a nice breezy film that'll be good to watch over a lazy weekend or curled up with a special someone, tropes and all.

Score: 7 out of 10 baseball stadium kissing cams.