Most people would hate someone stealing their idea and crediting it as their own, and that is exactly what happens to Lola Alvarez in "A Perfect Pairing."
Played by former Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice, Lola is a gusty L.A. wine executive who quits her job after her coworker stole her idea of getting Australian celebrity clientele Vaughn Family Wines to be business partners. The movie follows Lola’s adventure to scenic Australia and her experiences doing manual labor on a farm working under Max (Adam Demos) while desperately trying to prove her worth as a self-starting wine company to the executive, Hazel Vaugh (Samantha Cain).
Since its release on May 19, "A Perfect Pairing” has stayed well in the Top #10 movies on Netflix, with its current ranking as of today being #7. However, the movie received just a measly 46 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
While the plot initially captured my eye, and I always love watching Justice’s expressive performances, what this movie really lacked is engaging dialogue. A lot of the script was filled with awkward dialogue between characters, and it affected my enjoyment of the movie, and the smooth progression of the plot.
Max, Lola’s love interest, is terribly keen on making Pinterest-inspired inspirational quotes–something that even the movie itself pokes fun at. While it is nice to see when a movie knows when to laugh at itself, the joke became increasingly annoying as it went on for several more instances throughout the movie.
Regardless of the uncomfortably written conversations, the characters themselves are quite enjoyable to watch. Lola is goal-oriented and headstrong, Max is brooding yet charming with an attractively thick accent, Hazel; cunning and demure, and even Lola’s former coworker Audra (Lucy Durack), good-hearted at nature yet too shy to speak up for herself, proved to be a character you were inclined to feel sorry for, and even root for alongside Lola.
The supporting cast of farm workers also have their fair share of both hilarious and drawn-out interactions with the main cast, but all in all did well to establish the tone of the movie as lighthearted and upbeat.
Would I watch the movie again? Probably not. However, this was definitely a movie that gives you exactly what you expect of a cute romantic comedy–a witty female lead who believes that she needs to shy away from romance, an attractive male lead who brings her out of her comfort zone, and a beautiful location to provide breathtaking landscape scenes. A perfectly decent romantic comedy that does not stray from the norm and delivers a satisfying experience.
