Romance in style review [Netflix]

Director: Michael Robinson | Script: Karen Berger, Luther M. Mace | Cast: Jaicy Elliot (Ella), Benjamin Hollingsworth (Derek), Connie Manfredi (Katie), Jorja Cadence (Liza), Daylin Willis (Oscar), Laura Soltis (Claudia) ea | Time to play: 84 minutes | Year: 2022

The main character Ella, a seamstress who would like to become a designer, enters in one of the first scenes of the stylish romance handsome Derek in a cafe. Two things emerge from their first scene together: they have extremely entertaining chemistry, and the story will be very clichéd. However, both points are positive, despite the negative connotation that the word cliché usually has. The standard history of stylish romance is amply complemented by an interesting insight into the world of fashion, hilarious characters, and a solid script.

She herself is direct and exudes so much passion that even the 20th time she mentions body positivity brings a smile. Because Ella has drives, passion, and good looks, Derek doesn’t have a lot of unique content to offer. However, his somewhat naive and childish enthusiasm saves the character from oblivion. Also, most of his facial expressions are more than laugh-worthy, which goes for most of the other characters as well. The many “like it or not” scenes that a romantic comedy naturally contains are kept entertaining by the witty expressions of everyone around the duo.

The script is hard to get used to, but it manages to say a lot in the short hour and a half that the film lasts. All the characters speak only in complete sentences, something that never happens in reality, of course, but makes it easy to pack a lot of information into a short scene. Sentences that sometimes sound unnatural on paper are delivered with such ease by almost the entire cast that they usually feel completely natural. Some conversations between the antagonist and her henchman border on the limit of what is tolerable, but this line is never crossed.

stylish romance A version of the Cinderella story can be called with a bit of imagination and the antagonists are the best proof of that. The evil stepmother here is editor-in-chief Claudia, who primarily wants Ella’s prestigious fashion magazine The Look to remain as she is and is unable to appreciate Ella’s more inclusive contribution. The evil stepsister is Liza, who at first seems to hate Ella, but as the movie progresses, she shows the good sides of her here and there. This makes for an interesting character and keeps Liza from looking like a second Claudia.

She is a beautiful woman and the fact that she is not as skinny as most of the female leads in these types of movies only becomes apparent later. This is due to the great conviction with which she plays. She radiates that she thinks she is beautiful and that makes her beautiful. Also, she always wears extravagant and colorful outfits, which makes every scene unique and refreshing. Her appearance fits very well with her ideals and motivations and therefore also with the film’s message: if you think you are beautiful, you radiate beauty.

stylish romance can be seen in Netflix.