Friday Streaming - Is Netflix's Good on Paper only good on paper?

Good on Paper on Netflix feels more like an anti-rom-com disclaimer that young teens are given by their parents, as a statutory warning.

Good on Paper is written by Iliza Shlesinger who also plays the lead in the movie and a lot of what happens in this film is based on someone Iliza dated years ago. Directed by Kim Gatewood, this film is more of a thriller than a rom-com, which makes me wonder just how traumatizing this must be for people who get catfished in the name of love. The stand-up acts in this movie are extremely relatable if you identify as a girl from the 21st century.

Cast - Iliza Shlesinger plays the role of Andrea Singer, a stand-up comic chasing fame and her first break as an actress. Andrea's stand-up acts are funny and definitely strike a chord with you, so much so that they leave you craving for more. We're first introduced to charming and effortlessly smooth, Dennis Kelly played by Ryan Hansen, at the airport, where he hands over the fallen boarding pass to Andrea. While this movie mainly revolves around the romance between these two and everything bizarre and terrifying that follows, Good on Paper also has Margaret Cho playing the role of Andrea's super supportive best friend, Margot who can see past Dennis' smooth behavior and his world of lies.

Storyline - Andrea Singer is frustrated with where she is in life right now, going from one audition to the other in the hope that she bags a role as an actress and finally sees herself on a billboard in L.A. She bumps into a stranger at the airport who hands her the boarding pass that she carelessly dropped and finds herself seated next to the same stranger on the plane. Enter Dennis, Mr. calm and collected, who sounds too put together to be true. He makes his way into Andrea's life while keeping his a secret until the very end. Like every best friend, Margot isn't convinced about Dennis being the Yale-going, super-rich hedge fund manager that he says he is. She convinces Andrea to go on a wild goose chase to get the clarity she deserves.

What I love - This movie will surprise you with its revelation in the end even though you're able to see the red flags at every turn. I love Andrea's monologues throughout the movie, in her narration and her stand-up acts that seem to flow seamlessly into the plot, and screenplay. Andrea is portrayed as a self-sufficient badass who isn't afraid to call herself out on her own bullshit and also manages to ignore every red flag and her intuition when it comes to her dating life. Sounds too familiar, eh? I love that about her character because it's not hard to relate to. I specifically love the last scene where Andrea used up the money from the ring she sold to put him on a billboard. I love that this movie explores female competition and friendship in such a refreshing light. Andrea realized that she was actually frustrated with herself and communicating this to her nemesis really stood out for me. This film also highlights the common notion where some men believe they're owed something, simply because they were nice to a woman.

Check out the trailer here

What I didn't quite like - It felt dragged out in parts. The only bits I found funny in Good on Paper were the stand-up acts. The courtroom plot towards the end made no sense at all.

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