I’ve had my gripe with Netflix rom-coms of late. After the goodness of Set It Up, To All the Boys and Someone Great, we’ve had a string of rom-coms that were not as good. I despaired of ever enjoying a new rom-com on Netflix again, especially after the travesty that was A Family Affair. As it turns out, Netflix still has some tricks up its sleeve, because Nobody Wants This is great. It has everything you could possibly want in a rom-com: sizzling chemistry between the romantic leads, hilarious set-pieces, and a talented ensemble that make the relationships feel authentic and real. The only drawbacks would be the uninspired use of music – yeah, I get it, it’s brutal out here – and the series doesn’t quite know what to do with the minor characters beyond tying their plot lines to the main romantic relationship.
Noah (Adam Brody) and Joanne (Kristen Bell) meet at a friend’s dinner party. There’s banter, chemistry, definitely interest. However, they can’t just let attraction lead the way because Noah’s a rabbi, and Joanne isn’t Jewish nor is she religious. Yet, who can resist a spark like this? The pair decide to hang out platonically, but we of course know this isn’t going to last as things head to romantic territory, and while we’re rooting for them, the obstacles are aplenty.
This is Bell’s wheelhouse. She’s a comedy queen, and was in a stint of rom-coms at one point in her career, so she’s the perfect protagonist for a rom-com series like this. Joanne is a little similar to Eleanor Shellstrop, the character Bell played on The Good Place for four seasons. She appears confident, but is secretly a hopeless romantic that’s waiting to be swept off her feet. Brody has been in a number of movies these past few years, like Ready Or Not, The River Wild and The Kid Detective. I’ve seen him play so many different roles and characters that I forgot how good he is in a romantic role – think Seth Cohen in The O.C or Dave Rygalski in Gilmore Girls. He’s fantastic as Noah, a rabbi who’s passionate about his faith but who is also looking for love and trying to find a balance between the two.
The charisma and chemistry the two bring to the table is seriously unrivalled. That first kiss scene between their characters is the stuff of romantic dreams – the lighting, the way Noah takes charge, his hand caressing her face gently. But is love enough to overcome all the obstacles in a relationship? There’s dissent on both sides. Joanne’s sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) doesn’t like how Joanne has become predictable and boring after getting into a relationship. After all, they have a podcast together where they talk about Joanne’s failed relationships and sex life, but now Joanne’s holding back because she’s the girlfriend of a rabbi.
Noah doesn’t know how to make Joanne fit into the Jewish part of his life. She’s not Jewish and as a rabbi, he would catch a lot of flak for dating outside his culture and faith. His family also looks at Joanne as someone who’s temporary, a girlfriend who has Noah’s interest in the moment; theirs is a relationship that won’t stand the test of time. In essence, we see the title of the series become flesh, with both Noah and Joanne feeling so much like it’s them against the world, even when they do manage to win over some parties to their side.
I’ve seen relationships implode because of such differences, where people take a leap and start a relationship only to end things when the external obstacles become too much to handle. We’re fed this idea that if our faith and culture is important to us, then we should date people within the same spaces and let others go in spite of the feelings we have. Nobody Wants This doesn’t resolve this in the first season, in part because there isn’t an easy solution, but it’s one of the few rom-coms which seems intent in exploring the issue a little more. Maybe it’s not easy, but do we just give up when we find a connection that makes us feel things we never thought we could feel? It’s convenient to say yes, to instead choose something that feels easy and straightforward, when maybe we should try saying no.
Nobody Wants This is fun, sexy, thoughtful, and I can’t wait for season 2.
REVIEW SCORE – 4/5
