Netflix is killin’ it with rom-coms. Not all of them are great or the next big thing (think Bird Box), but the majority are worth a look for some easy hate-watching or canoodling with a significant other. It’s no wonder the genre is mostly dead at the multiplex. It’s unfortunate that a charming ditty like Long Shot can’t hack it anymore in theaters, but I get it. Why fork over money for Rogen and Theron when Set It Up is perfectly fine at no cost (more or less) for you on Netflix. I’ve heard plenty of hosannas from thirsty women about Noah Centineo and wasn’t convinced sight-unseen. He struck me as another Taylor Lautner, a good-looking kid without much talent starring in made-for-TV movies or the cinematic equivalent. Well lo and behold, he’s much better than that. He’s a young Mark Ruffalo, Italian heritage n’ all, and The Perfect Date is the perfect vehicle for his current abilities. And according to social media, it’s in the perfect place on Netflix. It’d be no doubt lost to the whims of time in theaters, and while it can’t be said that streamers don’t bury content over time, at the very least the movie has had its fifteen minutes of fame. That’s more than can be said for the Isn’t it Romantics of the world, no matter how likable they are. If you still care so many months later, seek it out for Noah and your garden-variety cliches you know and love to hate, stay for Laura Marano as his girlfriend-to-be-eventually. She’s quite good too.

The Movie: B-

Netflix’s Rom-Com Game: A-

P.S. The streamer could do with a cross-over classic though. Is that possible in our post-mono culture world?