THE PERFECT MATCH
DIRECTOR: Bille Woodruff
CAST: Terrence Jenkins, Cassie Ventura, Donald Faison, Dascha Polanco, Robin Givens and French Montana
CLASSIFICATION: PG13 LSD
RUNNING TIME: 96 minutes
RATING: 2 stars (out of 5)
Debashine Thangevelo
THE Perfect Match would have been better off as a straight-to-DVD release. The narrative lacks originality. And they couldn’t have chosen a more inferior lead in Terrence Jenkins. A Taye Diggs or Morris Chestnut would have been a better fit. Jenkins lacks the gravitas needed for him to make his modern libertine character, Charlie, more believable.
A successful LA talent agent, Charlie is also an Instagram sensation with his part-time hobby as a photographer. He doesn’t believe in relationships and has a love-them-and-bed-them attitude before moving on to the next sex-kitten. While he has the threads that scream power-house, he lacks the slickness.
Thankfully, he is paired with Cassie Ventura (Diddy’s bae in real-life) as Eva, who becomes the game-changer in his life.
First, let us look at the plot.
Charlie is the only one among his group of friends who isn’t a couple. Victor and Ginger are about to tie the knot, while Rick and Pressie are trying to start a family. Despite all their advice and ragging, coupled with his doting therapist sister Sherry trying to get him to look deeper at the cause of his commitment-phobic attitude, Charlie sticks to his rule book when it comes to women.
However, he is ill-prepared for what happens when he accepts a challenge to give monogamy a chance in the build-up to his best friends wedding.
The twist? Eve, a bombshell, is looking for a no-strings-attached fling. Although that seems to slot in perfectly with Charlie’s lifestyle, their time together sees him developing feelings he refuses to admit… until it’s too late.
This rom-com is ineffective at depicting modern dating. There is nothing authentic in the way the storyline is penned other than that Jenkins represents a typecast that exists.
However, there are some relatable moments like when Charlie’s friends call him out on his BS and when, while heartbroken, he finally addresses how his parents’ untimely death has impacted on him and his views on love.
But these scenes fall short of being profound thanks to the badly-timed comedy.
The Perfect Match preys on the gullibility of romantics (especially of the teenage ilk) and seduces them further with a few steamy scenes. At the end, I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of the title, which is anything but what it suggests.
If you enjoyed Hitch and The Best Man, you might enjoy this.