With The Half of It, Netflix debuts its second young adult retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac in so many years, following 2018's Sierra Burgess is a Loser. But where Sierra flipped the gender of the story's leads, The Half of It brings a queer storyline into this high school-set reinvention of the classic story. Written and directed by Alice Wu (Saving Face), The Half of It follows a straight-A student who writes papers for her classmates to make extra money. She gets hired by a football player to write a letter to the girl he's in love with, but she has feelings for the girl as well. The Half of It puts a queer YA spin on a classic romance story, but Wu makes it her own - delivering a charming, sweet and altogether heartfelt movie.
Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) is a loner with no friends, but a booming black market essay writing gig at her high school when she's approached by lovesick jock Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) to help him write a love letter to the girl of his dreams: Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). Ellie and Paul become close friends as they're working together to woo Aster, with the lovable jock breaking down many of the walls Ellie has put up over the years of being an outsider in their small town. But as both Ellie and Paul's feelings for Aster deepen, the three teenagers form a love triangle that will force each of them to confront their views on love and relationships.
Though The Half of It is ostensibly a teen rom-com, it's also a coming of age story for Ellie as she discovers what it means to be in love - what it means for her to be in love - and how to live her life to the fullest. Wu's story offers an incredibly well-crafted arc about a queer teenager who's coming to terms with their sexuality in a story that's much more nuanced than some other mainstream movies about LGBTQ youth. Ellie doesn't talk about her sexuality with a straightforward assuredness of someone much older. She's hesitant, but her sexuality isn't buried in subtext - it's a delicate balance that Wu walks beautifully. The story of The Half of It may be recognizable to viewers as a retelling of Cyrano, and the coming of age aspect of the film makes it universally relatable, but Ellie's storyline is one not often seen in Hollywood movies. Thanks to Wu's script and direction, it's not only an important story, but a compelling one.
Helping to bring Wu's story to life is the young cast, the core trio of which do most of the heavy lifting - though Collin Chou delivers a warmly compelling supporting performance as Ellie's father Edwin Chu. Still, for the most part it's Lewis, Diemer and Lemire carrying The Half of It, and they do so with grace and deftness. Lewis is particularly captivating to watch as Ellie, who struggles to learn what love is through her relationships with Paul and Aster. It's not often that teenagers in movies actually feel like teenagers (though it's more common now), but Lewis captures the awkwardness and uncertainty of a teenager exceptionally well. Similarly, Diemer's Paul is the charmingly open foil to Ellie's more guarded personality. The two are sweet to watch, and their friendship easily becomes the emotional heart of the movie. While Lemire is given slightly less to work with, she brings a much-needed depth and warmth to Aster to help tie the movie's emotional themes together.
With The Half of It, Wu's latest movie joins the roster of Netflix romantic comedies - specifically its YA rom-coms. Though it may be compared to Sierra Burgess is a Loser for adapting the same story or To All the Boys I've Loved Before for having an Asian-American lead, The Half of It sets itself apart as a uniquely touching story of young love and self-realization. Perhaps what The Half of It shares most with these other Netflix releases is that it likely wouldn't have been made or released under the typical studio-theatrical model, which would have been a shame. Wu's vision for her Cyrano retelling brings an entirely fresh and delightful spin to the classic with her heartfelt story of a queer teen learning about romantic love and the platonic love of friendship.
As such, The Half of It is certainly worth checking out for anyone interested in teen rom-coms, queer love stories and/or coming of age tales. Wu's filmmaking sensibilities help to set the movie apart from other teen-geared romance films, while her script tells a story not often seen in Hollywood, particularly in movies made for young adults. The Half of It will be an important movie for viewers who particularly relate to Ellie, but Wu depicts Ellie's story in such a way that it can be relatable to all audiences. So Netflix users looking for a new movie to watch, particularly one with themes of love and hope, won't go wrong with The Half of It.
The Half of It is now streaming on Netflix. It is 104 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for brief language and teen drinking.
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