Cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire and more
Alice Wu’s second directorial feature hits all the right notes for not just high-schoolers, but anyone struggling with their identity. Netflix’s latest rom-com about a high school introvert who helps a jock articulate his feelings for the popular girl, starts off on a predictable coming-of-age film structure, but blossoms into new avenues that take the viewers down unexpected lanes of comedy. Leah Lewis plays Ellie Chiu, the high achieving senior who gets tangled up in the love letters between Daniel Diemer’s lovable goof Paul and the popular pastor’s daughter, played with subtle grace and charm by newcomer Alexxis Lemire. It’s not an original take on teen love and discovering oneself in a moment of crisis and there are plenty of clichés to roll your eyes through, but there are enough fresh elements and excellent acting on Lewis’s part to tide you over.
