Stream It Or Skip It: ‘A Perfect Pairing’ on Netflix, A Rom-Com Showcase for Former Nickelodeon Star Victoria Justice And ‘Sex/Life’ Stud Adam Demos

For a brief moment at the end of the 2010s, Netflix was poised to fully revitalize the romantic comedy genre. With outputs like Set It Up and Always Be My Maybe, the dying genre was resuscitated by the streaming giant. Netflix has had a few issues since then, but their newest original film starring Victoria Justice as a wine importer is a return to the promise of a few years ago. Does A Perfect Pairing live up to the high standards of its predecessors?

A PERFECT PAIRING: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Lola Alvarez (Victoria Justice) is the star seller at her cutthroat LA-based wine importing company and she’s gunning for the regional sales director title. But after her best friend steals her proposed Australian client and her boss deems the move fair play, Lola quits in a rage and decides to open her own outfit. Only problem is that she has no clients. In a leap of faith, she ventures Down Under to the celebrity-owned Vaughn Family Wines where she tries to win over the owner by toiling away on their farm. While she’s there, she bonds with Max (Adam Demos), the quietly brooding and extremely handsome ranch-hand who is hiding secrets of his own. When Lola uncovers Max’s secrets, she must make a decision about both her personal and professional life.

What Will It Remind You Of?: A Perfect Pairing has all of the classic elements of a rom-com: a fish out of water story, two opposites attracted to one another, and a very lush, beautiful setting. It’ll remind you of workplace romance films like The Proposal or Beauty and the Briefcase.

Performance Worth Watching: This is Victoria Justice’s movie and we’re all just here to witness it. She’s charming and funny, and is able to manufacture chemistry with Adam Demos, who plays Max very straightlaced.

Memorable Dialogue: Lola and Max’s flirtation is a bit of a slow burn, but the initial seeds are planted when Max offers up this inspirational quote as a gesture of his appreciation: “When it comes to hard work, some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all. You turned up and you didn’t turn up your nose. That’s worth a lot in my book.”

Sex and Skin: For a 21st century rom-com, the film surprisingly doesn’t get risqué save for a few shirtless scenes of Demos.

Our Take: There is nothing groundbreaking about A Perfect Pairing. It’s a formulaic workplace rom-com with a charismatic young star at the center, and there is little to no surprise in the conclusion. But that doesn’t mean it’s not still enjoyable — in fact, it’s the perfect film to watch after you’ve poured some wine and just want to sink into your sofa after a long week.

The biggest draw for the film is Victoria Justice, who was previously a bonafide Nickelodeon star thanks to Victorious. Here, she reinvents herself as an energetic overachiever and a divorcee who isn’t really looking for love. When she arrives in the middle of nowhere Australia and has to jump into the deep end of manual labor, she does so without worrying about dirtying her clothes or chipping a nail. It’s a realistic portrait of a modern woman who will do anything for her career goals, and knows how to use her charisma to win people over, and Justice rises to the occasion.

Where the film falls somewhat flat is in her chemistry with Australian actor Adam Demos, who plays her love interest Max. To be fair, Max is written as a brooding rancher who holds his secrets close to his chest. But even in their moments of banter, (of which there are many!) Justice feels much more natural and comfortable than Demos.

As is necessary for these films, a conflict arises right after they’ve finally opened up and shared their true feelings. But their rift feels extremely forced. Max finally comes clean about the secrets he’s been hiding and Lola becomes upset that he lied about his true identity, even though he tried to tell her multiple times and her main-character energy didn’t allow him to get a word in. The saving grace is that Lola later identifies her anger doesn’t stem from his lie, but rather his need to lie, which indicates he has a lot of work to do on himself before he is ready for a relationship.

As a bonus for fans of 2010s indie rock, the soundtrack will be a welcome walk down memory lane. “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros plays a large role in the central romance, and the soundtrack is heavily laden with many other nostalgic tracks that call back to rom-com heydays and provide a tone setting for the film.

Will this film be life changing or a genre shaking? No. But will it be entertaining? I feel confident saying yes.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Though some of the conflict is contrived, it’s an enjoyable watch for those looking for a light movie.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, Paste Magazine, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.