Yara Shahidi of “Black-ish” and Charles Melton of “Riverdale” make the leap from television with aplomb as opposites who aren’t just attracted to each other—they literally collide on the sidewalk. Granted, Melton’s hunky Daniel had seen Shahidi’s radiant Natasha earlier that morning in Grand Central Terminal and stalked her through a few different neighborhoods, which we’re meant to think is sweet rather than creepy. But still—they meet cute at a moment when they’re both on the brink of big changes.
She’s the daughter of Jamaican immigrants whose whole family is about to be deported the next day after an ICE raid. He’s the son of Korean immigrants who’s about to visit a Dartmouth alumnus for an interview that might help him secure a spot at the prestigious university. She’s a pragmatist with a head for science who’s fascinated by astronomy. He’s a romantic with a heart for poetry who’d rather do anything than become the doctor his parents want him to be. She doesn’t believe in love; he believes in nothing but. They are ideas, these two, but they’re also pleasant company.
Naturally, as they get to chatting and flirting, they realize how different they are. But when Daniel bets Natasha that he can make her fall in love with him by the end of the day, it’s only a matter of when, not if, despite the fact that she has a ticking clock of her own. In the vein of Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise,” Natasha and Daniel walk and talk through the streets of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. And they do have decent chemistry with each other, even as they’re saddled with some cringey, on-the-nose dialogue. (Along those lines, Shahidi is often stuck spelling out the film’s themes through self-aware narration, a frequent YA movie trope.)
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7s7vGnqmempWnwW%2BvzqZmq52mnrK4v46tn55lo6q7brXSZpilq59irm6%2F05qpZmpgZoY%3D