The Perfect Date (2019)

Movie Name/Year: The Perfect Date (2019)

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Length: 89 minutes

Rating: TV-14

Production Companies: Ace Entertainment, Awesomeness Films

Director: Chris Nelson

Writer: Steve Bloom, Randall Green

Actors: Noah Centineo, Laura Marano, Odiseas Georgiadis, Camila Mendes, Matt Walsh, Joe Chrest, Carrie Lazar, Alexander Biglane, Blaine Kern III, Zak Steiner, Ty Parker, Wayne Pére, Rhonda Johnson Dents, Maureen Brennan, Autumn Walker

Blurb from IMDb: To save up for college, Brooks Rattigan creates an app where anyone can pay him to play the perfect stand-in boyfriend for any occasion.

Selina’s Point of View:

I don’t really have much to say here.

Noah Centineo (T@gged, Swiped, Sierra Burgess is a Loser) has an incredible charisma, but that was really the only stand-out thing about The Perfect Date. It was pretty basic.

My only real thought about it even revolves around Centineo’s involvement. Really, I think he just needs to be careful about what parts he goes for. The parts I’ve seen him play in are all very similar. It would be a shame if he became type-cast. He’s supposed to be in the upcoming Charlie’s Angels (2019) and Masters of the Universe (as He-Man). If he does well there, it could break the curse before it really gets a chance to take hold.

Cat’s Point of View:

Noah Centineo (The Fosters, Sierra Burgess is a Loser, Swiped) is popping up all over the place lately – even unexpected places such as the forthcoming Masters of the Universe (2020) movie that’s currently in pre-production. Centineo as He-Man, however, is a discussion for another day.

When we recently reviewed To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018), I saw that this movie had just been released. For all that the main characters in The Perfect Date are easy on the eyes, I had a bit of a knee jerk reaction to sigh a bit at yet another teen romance. It’s fairly similar to She's All That (1999). There was just enough to make the film current and fun to watch, rather than experiencing a feature-length session of dejavu.

I did spend a little bit trying to pinpoint why Laura Marano (Superbad, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Lady Bird) was so familiar. Aside from the other works I knew I’d seen her in, I finally realized it was a random recollection from watching Austin & Ally (2011-2016) with my daughter in the days she kept Disney channel on all the time. I loved her character in this movie. Her brand of sass and assertiveness resonated with me. I also really enjoyed her dynamic with Centineo.

The Perfect Date was pretty much what I expected. I can’t say that it stands out in the sea of similar movies, but I don’t regret watching it.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 77%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 40%

Metascore – 50/100

Metacritic User Score – 5.0/10

IMDB Score – 5.9/10

CinemaScore – None

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Movie Trailer: