'Set It Up' Is a Familiar Yet Feel-Good Romantic Comedy

After being bombarded by ads of the Netflix movie Set It Up in the past weeks whenever I’m binging Youtube, I finally allowed myself to go see it.

The story revolves around Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell), two overworked and underpaid assistants toiling under oppressive, high maintenance bosses.  The former works for Kirsten (Lucy Liu), the workaholic head honcho of a top sports web site; and the latter works for Rick (Taye Diggs), a high-strung venture capitalist.  With their social lives virtually non-existent because of the lack of free time, Harper and Charlie realize that the answer to their common plight is to manipulate their bosses into hooking up with each other.

It isn’t necessarily unique or innovative as a rom-com.  The premise is basically Parent Trap, which it even references at one point.  There are some expectations that are subverted, but key plot developments are also predictable.  For one, it’s rather obvious that while Harper and Charlie are working in the shadows to make Kirsten and Rick fall in love with each other, a romance between them will also inevitably blossom.

However, even though it follows a familiar outline, it honestly doesn’t feel stale at all.  It genuinely charms.  Maybe because it competently hits a lot of the endearing beats of the classic rom-coms of old, generating a resonating sense of heartwarming coziness.  Moreover, it’s worth noting that Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell display the kind of spark that has made all those classic rom-com couples well-liked.

Set It Up is not exactly the best rom-com I’ve seen in 2018 so far (that would still be My Perfect You).  And it really doesn’t have much meat in it.  Nevertheless, I found its lightness very pleasant.  It’s a fairly fun watch all in all.