Originally published here at The Hofstra Chronicle by Melanie Haid
Netflix recently released “Someone Great,” a rom-com that breaks your heart and pieces it back together in just 90 minutes. If you’ve ever been in a relationship in your 20s, “Someone Great” will have you reminiscing on every love-filled moment from your past.
“Jane the Virgin” actress Gina Rodriguez plays Jenny Young, a young journalist in Manhattan. She lands her dream job working for Rolling Stone in LA, but loses her boyfriend of nine years, Nate, played by Lakeith Stanfield, in the process.
Rodriguez turns to her two best friends from college, Blair and Erin, played brilliantly by Brittany Snow and DeWanda Wise, for one last day of adventure. The trio scours the city for tickets to a concert in an effort to make their last night unforgettable.
After Jenny and Nate split, her world at first seems dark, but as the day continues, the three women see light in their careers, each other and the pending evening ahead.
Aside from being a Netflix original rom-com, “Someone Great” encapsulates young love, heartbreak and growth with an emphasis on self. Many Netflix romances tend to miss the mark, so creating a modern romance that’s both realistic and empowering is certainly attention-grabbing.
Between the neon lights, concerts, beautiful apartments and the dreamy, trendy Manhattan backdrop are three uniquely ordinary women navigating their 20s. Though a bit on the wild side, the film has realistic, deep characters that bring the story to life.
Jenny, Blair and Erin all have fleshed-out personalities, traits and stories of their own. They’re all struggling and thriving in their own ways and each have their own problems that they need to get through. It’s real friendship at its finest – supporting one another without just being supporting characters.
The acting is raw and emotional, which we’ve seen before from Rodriguez in “Jane the Virgin.” Paired with Wise and Snow, the trio is funny and heartfelt, making you want to jump in right alongside them. Not only are they real with one another, they’re just real in general.
This movie takes a storyline that’s been done countless times before and makes it deeper, more personal and full of love, but not necessarily the kind you’d think of for a rom-com.
In a world where everything is constantly shifting, it’s important to recognize our own successes and realize how great each of us is doing. When everything is changing, we tend to overlook the opportunity and growth right under our noses, but it’s there, and our trio of ambitious women find that in each other and in themselves.
“Someone Great” – spoiler alert – is you. It’s accepting your past and embracing your future, and that’s exactly what these three women do. Whether it’s getting over heartbreak, making the choice to break up or admitting your feelings to yourself, the film allows you to feel everything you never knew you could feel.
From loss and nostalgia to love, support and pure passion, watching “Someone Great” gives you the hope you need for the future.
In the most wholesome way possible, the film tells us that we don’t need to look far to find “the one,” because love is in the people that surround you as well as in yourself. If you haven’t already seen it, drop everything and allow yourself to be empowered – it’s worth it.
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