Hello, friends. Happy Friday! I am five episodes into season two of Indian Matchmaking on Netflix, and I can't wait to discuss it with you! I am addicted.
Before we get into this week's top picks, here are a few things coming up:
- Today - Season three of Mindy Kaling's Never Have I Ever is now live on Netflix! The teasers have been amazing and I can't wait to start watching.
- Wednesday, August 17 - Lili Reinhart (Betty from Riverdale) stars in Look Both Ways, a movie about a woman who takes a pregnancy test right after college graduation and considers both paths her life could take.
- Wednesday, August 24 - If you love Selling Sunset on Netflix, the Oppenheim brothers are back with a new spinoff, Selling the OC.
- Friday, August 26 - Netflix has been crushing it with the rom-coms this summer and a new one, Partner Track, is just a few weeks away. It's the story of a woman named Ingrid who is trying to make partner at her law firm while juggling friendships and romance.
- Thursday, September 1 - Netflix drops a new movie called Love in the Villa. I was ready to watch this based on the title alone, but you should know it's set in Verona, Italy and is an "enemies to lovers" trope about two people who book the same villa for the same dates without the owner realizing it.
Ok! Now onto this week's favorites. It's been an amazing week for rom-coms. Let's talk about two new movies and a debut series.
1. Purple Hearts (Netflix) - One of my best friends told me about this movie. I watched the trailer and thought, "Yup, that looks great." It turned out to be so much better and more complex than I was expecting.
Nicholas Galitzine and Sofia Carson star as Luke and Cassie. Luke is in the Marines, about to deploy to Iraq. Cassie is a struggling singer who works nights as a bartender to pay her rent and for Insulin (she has diabetes).
They meet one night at Cassie's bar and while there's more tension than flirtation, that chance meeting hatches a plan. They both need money (Luke to pay off a major debt) and if they get married, they can start to receive benefits from the military. Note: I know nothing about how this works in life, I am just sharing the premise of the movie.
So, they get hitched, Luke deploys, and they have to keep up appearances that they're actually in love. They exchange letters, they talk on Skype, and when Luke is sent home after an injury, Cassie gets the call.
I don't want to give away too much more, but I really loved this story. Luke has a complicated relationship with his family that makes him layered and interesting. Cassie is desperately pursuing her music career, and thanks to that storyline, the movie has a fantastic soundtrack.
There is a scene where Cassie gives Luke a bath (after his injury) that is so beautiful and romantic I felt myself welling up! And Cassie gives a speech at the very end of the movie that caused total waterworks.
Everyone I know who has watched this loved it, and several people have re-watched it multiple times.
2. Wedding Season (Netflix) - This adorable movie was the perfect warm up before season two of Indian Matchmaking. Pallavi Sharda and Suraj Sharma star as Asha and Ravi, two singles who are being majorly pressured by their parents to get married. Asha wants to focus on her new role at a micro-loan finance company and Ravi is hiding his secret job from his community (he's a DJ!).
To keep their parents at bay, they decide to pretend to be dating and attend all of the weddings they're invited to together. You guessed it - they fall in love!
What makes this movie so adorable is Asha and Ravi's meddling parents. They have some of the best lines in the script, and when they team up to try and push their kids together, hilarity ensues.
Sean Kleier also deserves a major shout. He play's Asha's brother-in-law, Nick. As the only white person in the family, he tries desperately to adapt to the cultural norms and traditions, with many missteps (and one disgusting cocktail) along the way.
Be sure to watch the credits all the way to the end, there's a very fun wedding / dance scene that goes along with it.
3. Uncoupled (Netflix) - I love Neil Patrick Harris and would basically watch anything he is in. This new, eight-part series has him playing Michael, a successful real estate agent in New York City who gets dumped by his boyfriend of 17 years the night he is throwing him a surprise party for his 50th birthday. Brutal.
In the days and weeks that follow, Michael is wallowing. He eventually tries online dating (for the very first time) and is horrified to discover those new norms. His bad dates will make you laugh out loud (and likely empathize).
The levity in the show comes from Michael's right hand woman at his real estate office, Suzanne, who is played by Tisha Campbell. If you are a child of the 80s or 90s, you likely remember Campbell as Gina on Martin with Martin Lawrence. Together, Suzanne and Michael deal with their most high maintenance client, Claire, played perfectly by Marcia Gay Harden.
I listened to the NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast episode about the show, and Linda Holmes and Glen Weldon commented that what makes the show irresistible is the Manhattan real estate. I don't disagree! Every home they show is impeccable and has stunning views.
Each episode is around 28-30 minutes. This show is so binge-able. I accidentally watched the entire thing in two sittings.
There you have it! This week's streaming suggestions.
*Images courtesy of Unsplash, Digital Spy, CNN and NPR.
