Fix: Jude Law Peak Pretty, Rom Com, Packing Up And Getting A Break From Your Life, Gentle Mocking of Movie Tropes, Cute Old Dude Helping Women Gain Confidence
Platforms: Netflix
Netflix Summary:
Stuck in a vicious cycle of dead-end relationships with two-timing men, Los Angeles resident Amanda and Londoner Iris decide to swap homes.
FYA Summary:
Ever wanted to just pack up and get away from your life (with minimal cost) for a week or two? That’s exactly what Amanda and Iris do: two strangers agree to swap houses over a Christmas holiday in order to get away from the toxic men who are dragging them down. Both of them are pleasantly surprised when they immediately make new friends (“friends,” in Amanda’s case, heh heh heh). Now the only problem is, do they really have to go home?
Familiar Faces:
Kate Winslet as Iris
Cameron Diaz as Amanda
Jude Law as Graham
Jack Black as Miles
Rufus Sewell as Jasper
Edward Burns as Ethan
Couch-Sharing Capability: High
Gather ’round, enjoyers of romantic comedies, for this one is pretty damn cute. It gently pokes fun at movie tropes (including Amanda’s emotionally-stunted, defensive character) while managing not to send me up on my righteous feminist soapbox (see: Leap Year). The friendship between Kate Winslet and an older, lonely man is truly sweet, and while one romantic relationship starts off as a friends-with-benefits situation, the other develops out of friendship. Yeah, the timeline is sped up, they work through emotional issues through leaps and bounds, and SERIOUSLY, YOU TRUST A STRANGER IN YOUR HOME, WHAT IS THIS, AIRBNB?, because it’s a movie, but overall it’s delightful.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Pop A Cork (Or Two)
If they can enjoy plenty of wine and champagne, so can you! Luckily, since this is a legitimately adorable movie, you won’t need to kill any pain.
Use Of Your Subscription: Holiday from Reality
If you can’t home-swap with a trustworthy stranger of similar age and relationship status, you can at least watch this movie and fantasize about stumbling upon Jude Law at the height of his prettiness (seriously, when he wears his glasses IT KILLS ME DEAD), who naturally falls instantly in love with you because why not. Escapism is the name of the game–as it should be.
