With Valentine’s Day, I figured now was as good a time as any to turn back the clock to 2018 for a moment. Why? So I can talk about a Netflix movie which, in my humble opinion, is still the streaming service’s best original romantic-comedy; sorry, “People We Meet On Vacation.”
The movie in question? Claire Scanlon’s “Set It Up,” a throwback, feel-good romantic comedy that takes us to New York City and charts the blossoming romance between two exhausted office workers played by Glen Powell and Zoey Deutch. I’ve revisited “Set It Up” several times since its June 2018 Netflix premiere, and I still don’t think the streamer’s offered a better romantic comedy than this — you can find out why below.
What is ‘Set It Up’ about?
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Claire Scanlon’s “Set It Up” revolves around two put-upon young office assistants — Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell) — working in New York City. The pair spend their days overworked and underpaid, slaving away for bosses who demand their attention around the clock and who treat them like dirt.
After a chance meeting, the pair go on to hatch a cunning plan: engineer a romance between their very single bosses, in an effort to steal back some of their own free time. And, as the pair play cupid, there’s always a chance sparks will fly elsewhere with love in the air, right?
In addition to Deutch and Powell, “Set It Up” also stars Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs as Harper and Charlie’s bosses. Pete Davidson, Meredith Hagner, Jon Rudnitsky and Titus Burgess.
Why you should stream ‘Set It Up’ on Netflix
“Set It Up” plays like a throwback to many of the friends-to-lovers rom-coms that have endured for decades now as genre favorites, just slightly updated for millennial viewers — and it works. Mostly, that’s down to two reasons. First off, Scanlon’s film is genuinely very funny, boasting both a joke-filled script and some big, very entertaining characters.
The second reason? “Set It Up” stars a brilliant rom-com pairing in Deutch and Powell. The pair bounce off one another brilliantly right from their office meet-cute and continue to have great comedic (and romantic) on-screen chemistry, which makes seeing them inevitably reckon with their own feelings all the more satisfying.
If you’re searching for romantic Netflix recommendations in the run-up to Valentine’s Day, I’d argue this is still one of the best rom-coms you’ll find on the platform. “Set It Up” doesn’t come with the caveats you might need to pitch other, lesser Netflix original rom-coms; it’s just a well-made, charming watch, period.
If you need a second opinion, I’m pleased to report that “Set It Up” is still highly regarded. At the time of writing, the movie’s still Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s sitting at 92% on the Tomatometer, with a critics’ consensus that reads: “‘Set It Up’ follows the long-established outlines of the rom-com template — and in the process, proves there’s still substantial pleasure to be wrought from familiar formulas.”
Reviewing in 2018, THR’s Kristen Yoonsoo Kim pitched it the movie as “a sweetly old-school rom-com with a 21st-century facelift,” writing: “While so many recent renditions of the rom-com have tried to upgrade the genre — usually by going the raunchy route — “Set It Up” feels so purposefully classic and familiar that it plays right into that nostalgic feel-good spot.”
Reviewing at RogerEbert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz gave the movie a 3-star rating, writing: “It’s satisfying, for the most part—a solid romantic comedy with sharp dialogue, amusing characters, a soundtrack of well-worn feel-good hits, and a few surprises up its sleeve. Its only major flaw is an inability to imagine the bosses as richly as the leads.
Finally, IndieWire’s Kate Erbland called the film “cinematic comfort food,” adding: “‘Set It Up’ is a classic rom-com brought to life by a pair of wonderfully well-matched stars who seem to revel in the genre.”
In short? “Set It Up” absolutely deserves to be on your Netflix watchlist. Not sold? Check out our recent round-up of cozy Netflix rom-coms for even more streaming recommendations fit for Valentine’s Day and beyond.
Stream “Set It Up” on Netflix now
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