Sex Appeal

I'd rather watch friends with benefits over and over again..hated the ending waited a while to get a good 2022 movie and the first one I get to watch is a rewritten plot that's trash that's just messed up.

"Sometimes you have to learn to fail to grow." "Well, you didn't fail. I mean, that's a B. And your grade won't be compromised with a 105 average."

Surprisingly charming and a film I wish was around when I was a teenager. Yeah, it's a little preachy but the fact that no other teen comedies focused on sex take the time to fully analyze themes like this has convinced me to overlook that.

I forgot Jake Short existed until I saw his face and it was like every single episode of ANT Farm flashed before my eyes. He's witty and engaging and probably gives one of the better performances in the film, besides the trio of Moms- including Fortune Feimster and Margaret Cho as divorced co-parents. Lead Mika Abdalla was good as well, but some of the more subtle traits of her character got lost along the way.

By far the biggest surprise is the direction. Talia Osteen really did a good job in making this C-level teen comedy- VERY reminiscent of the early 2000s- stand out in style and heart. The writing could have used some editing, but overall this could have been a roaring dumpster fire and I actually didn't mind it!

...and sometimes, the things that were, they were cringeworthy, like holding an iPhone like a boom box, ala John Cusack. There were good performances, in particular from the lead actress, but they weren't enough to distinguish this from any other high school love movie.

Perhaps this will be more intriguing to the movie's core audience, who probably haven't seen Say Anything... or the dozens of movies cut from the same cloth.

Another teen rom/com. It has its funny parts, and makes you feel.

But, it also does what so many Hollywood movies/shows are making a habit of.

Using young 21+ adults to play HS kids with sex/love stories. Trying to normalize HS teens having sex, without using teens.

6/10 - the cringe is real (some really bad dialogue and like 3 extended weird sexual "metaphor" screens) in this Hulu original film, but between that hilarious classroom scene (quadratic formula and all) and a surprisingly nuanced conclusion, this one managed to win me over.