Netflix seems determined to single-handedly keep the rom-com genre afloat. And they’re doing a comendable job of it, with a fair number of hits on their hands. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and Set It Up are probably the two most popular up to this point. But in Always Be My Maybe, Netflix may have unlocked the secret to sustained, massive success: the A-list actor cameo.
In a surprise cameo (unless you’ve seen the trailer), Keanu Reeves, John Wick himself, shows up for a brief – but glorious – short stretch. And he STEALS. THE. DAMN. MOVIE. It’s incredible. He plays a parody of himself to absolute perfection. The man had me in stitches the entire time. Regardless of what you think of the rest of the movie, his role alone makes it worth watching.
But there is the rest of the movie to get to; it’s (sadly) not all Keanu. The plot revolves around childhood friends Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park). Inseparable growing up, they eventually lose touch after high school, only to randomly reconnect 16 years later. Their lives have gone in completely opposite directions. Sasha is a massively successful chef and restaurateur. And Marcus? Well, Marcus still lives at home while working for his father’s air conditioning company. He also performs with his hip-hop(ish) band (which provides a few of the bigger laughs). Speaking of the band, make sure you watch through the credits for a fantastic original song.
From here, it’s essentially your by-the-book rom-com. And it’s here where Maybe encounters its problems, because every rom-com follows the same general structure. You know what’s coming, you can often even predict when in the movie certain beats will occur. It makes it hard for a great rom-com to become a great movie. It does feel like efforts are being made to subvert some of those expectations, but it’s still a work in progress. So how does a movie set itself apart in a crowded genre?
You follow the mold of Always Be My Maybe. And part of that means attaching top-level acting and comedic talent to the project. Randall Park and Ali Wong are two of the best in the game right now, Their easy charm, great chemistry, and natural comedic abilities are able to take these common tropes and make them feel fresh, even when they’re not.
Another important detail is providing a fresh perspective to the story. That can mean diversity in its cast, as in here or last year’s hit Crazy Rich Asians. It can mean flipping out-dated societal norms, like making the female lead (Sasha) the big success with the male lead (Marcus) playing the “average” person. And a movie can do what Maybe did, and challenge racial stereotypes.
All this serves to make the journey feel like something you haven’t seen before. Even if the broader strokes mirror nearly every other rom-com you’ve ever seen, putting a story on a unique path can do wonders for a movie.
Or you can cast Keanu Reeves. Always cast Keanu Reeves.
