Netflix's A Perfect Pairing, available to stream starting May 19, 2022, seems to have the perfect amount of cheesiness to complement its focus on the wine industry. Starring Victoria Justice, the upcoming film incorporates many tropes loved by rom-com enthusiasts, making it a shoo-in to do well amongst romance fans.
Whether it be the protagonist challenging their day job, a city dweller struggling in a new, rural landscape, or the complications that arise from intertwining the personal with the professional, A Perfect Pairing contains many elements reminiscent of past romance films.
Love Hard
When Natalie, a hardworking writer frustrated with her failed dating attempts, meets Tag, her seemingly perfect match, online she decides to risk it all and go see him in person. However, she soon finds herself in a complicated situation when she realizes she's been catfished. The result is still a heartwarming holiday love story.
Having condescending bosses, both Nina Dobrev's Natalie and Victoria Justice's Lola are shown to be fueled by their ambitions. This strive to prove themselves, along with their ensuing, wholesome romances, are exactly why Love Hard relates so well to A Perfect Pairing.
Holidate
Holidate allows Emma Roberts' Sloane and Luke Bracey's Jackson to solve the age-old issue of being single during any holiday: find someone to be your platonic date for all of them. Of course, the trouble arises when the two are unable to contain their developing feelings for one another, fulfilling one of many most-used romance tropes.
Interestingly, both Roberts and Justice are former Nickoleodeon stars, with these films connecting their ventures into the rom-com world. With its predictable nature, feel-good vibes, and undoubtedly cheesy, Hallmark-esque romance, Holidate has many film tropes that A Perfect Pairing will also inevitably display.
Just Go With It
One of the best Adam Sandler-led rom-com is Just Go With It. Having lied to his girlfriend, plastic surgeon Danny enlists the help of his assistant, Katherine, and her children to pose as his family so he can keep up the charade until he marries Palmer. In typical rom-com fashion, audiences see Danny and Katherine fall for one another instead.
Albeit having a very different premise than A Perfect Pairing, Just Go With It encapsulates much of what will make the upcoming film a great rom-com: people adjusting to different lives, a cute but unintended blossoming romance, and a very cheesy, obvious storyline that audiences still love.
The Proposal
One of the greatest romance movies featuring an older with a younger man is The Proposal. When Sandra Bullock's Margaret is threatened with deportation, she pretends to have a relationship with her assistant, Ryan Reynolds' Andrew. Although Andrew agrees, he does so at his price and the two inevitably fall in love by the end.
The Proposal is another film where an originally professional relationship develops into something much more, just like in A Perfect Pairing. Both films also feature two strong-willed female leads and set the premise for an inescapable romance. The question is whether or not A Perfect Pairing will become as loved as The Proposal upon release!
The Perfect Date
Another Netflix rom-com, The Perfect Date depicts the story of high schooler Brooks, who designs an app that allows people to hire him as their plus-one to events. As with all romantic comedies, his plans quickly derail as he finds himself in a complicated mess of lies and feelings.
Both A Perfect Pairing and The Perfect Date star former child stars, while also being produced by Netflix. As such, the two are bound to share many similarities, such as their conventionally attractive casts, foreseeable plots, and "perfect" storylines which will inevitably contain some confusion before perfectly sorting themselves out.
The Last Song
When Miley Cyrus' angsty and unapologetic Ronnie has to spend the summer with her father, she has little optimism for what it will hold. What ensues is a summer full of love, loss, and rediscovering herself, her love for her family, and the healing powers of her music.
While it is not a comedy, The Last Song is still a romance film that resonates with A Perfect Pairing. Both take their female lead and place her in a rural-like environment, where she falls for the personable rich guy. Plus, The Last Song is a Nicholas Spark adaptation, making it equally as cheesy and heartwarming as the Netflix romance will be.
The Royal Treatment
When Prince Thomas hires a small-time hairdresser, Izzy, and her friends as the stylists for his wedding, she immediately takes him up on the offer. With her kind nature and unabashed love for life, Izzy manages to give Thomas' life a makeover as well.
The common ground of having a determined, pure-hearted, and strong-minded female lead countered by a guarded, pragmatic male love interest is largely what makes The Royal Treatment so similar to A Perfect Pairing. The two films also feature people adjusting to foreign settings, another popular rom-com trope.
Set It Up
Tired of being exploited by their rude bosses, Charlie and Harper decide to make the two fall in love to keep them occupied and happy. While the plan initially goes well, eventually Charlie and Harper re-evaluate manipulating their bosses, whilst also navigating their feelings.
Both Set It Up and A Perfect Pairing follows the themes of terrible bosses and the protagonists trying to achieve their own goals by climbing up social and corporate ladders. The two films also contain a predictable romance that complicates professional relationships.
A Cinderella Story
Hilary Duff's Sam lived out a modern-day retelling of Cinderella. Struggling with the tribulations of senior year and the wrath of her Stepmother, Sam faces constant hurdles until finally finding her happy ending with the brooding jock of a Prince Charming, Austin. The film was a great hit, with many of its best quotes still remembered.
Just like in A Perfect Pairing, A Cinderella Story also shows the story of a female lead trying to find success and redefine herself, while harboring feelings for a burdened, rich guy. Plus, the trailer for A Perfect Pairing gives off the same charming, feel-good, 2000s vibes that made A Cinderella Story such a hit in its time.
A Good Year
Having recently acquired his family's vineyard in France, selfish and arrogant Max hopes to make a quick sale of it and return to his London business as soon as he can. Instead, he finds himself falling for the free-spirited local, Fanny, and re-evaluating his life instead.
A Good Year draws direct parallels to A Perfect Pairing. Both Justice's Lola and Russel Crowe's Max are driven to their settings by business, but appear to be held there by love instead. Both also focus greatly on wine, highlighting the possibilities in the romantic vineyards.