Director: Janeen Damian
Writer: Nicole Henrich
Stars: Miranda Cosgrove, Pierson Fodé, Madison Pettis
Synopsis: A woman joins a dating show thinking it’s in Paris, France for an art opportunity, but it’s actually in Paris, Texas. She tries to get eliminated until falling for the bachelor, complicating her plans.
In its heyday in the early 2000s we used to believe in reality TV competitions. The curtain has been drawn back and we’ve seen in fiction, and in actual reality, how manipulated these shows are by both contestants and producers. It’s strange to use this as a part of the premise for a traditional rom-com, but The Wrong Paris gives it a real shot.
It helps that the chemistry between Dawn (Miranda Cosgrove) and Trey (Pierson Fodé) is established before the in-movie show commences. If we were led to believe that either one of these two could fall in love during this really terrible sounding dating show it would ring false to even the most die hard of die hard rom-com fans. It really doesn’t help that Dawn has no competition.
Writer Nicole Henrich’s focus is obviously on the romance of the leads, but there are so many other characters that get time on screen that really shouldn’t. To say these characters are underdeveloped would be to say that there was anything beyond a one line description for most of them. They pop up with an unfunny line or bit of physical comedy and then disappear again into the background. Each one feels like a campfire skit character or a beginners improv class exercise.
Which is disappointing because the story takes a few good turns to get to its happily ever after. The two lead characters feel the most fleshed out, as they should. There is little Miranda Cosgrove does in most scenes, but she seems relaxed into who Dawn is when she’s opposite Pierson Fodé as Trey. Fodé, for his part, is built like Chris Hemsworth, but charming in his Matthew McConaughey swagger. The two of them are incredibly likeable together and you can imagine these two being a solid couple, if only the filmmakers could have stuck a little more closely to the two of them.
The filmmaking is likewise solid. Director Janeen Damian is a veteran of these types of simple, but effective rom-coms. She is able to blend the elements of the TV shoot with the elements of her story to good effect, creating some unique shots including one action scene where several actors are strapped to camera rigs and we get in on the action. Though, Damian’s and cinematographer Graham Robbins’ best scene, which is equal parts cheesy, sexy, and very funny, is a bit of fluff.
Dawn is attempting to evade the cameras and get a bit of exploring done on the ranch and she stops to snoop on Trey as he gets ready to give a horse a bath. In several sexy moments, Trey removed his shirt slowly, he squeezed a sponge lustily, sprayed a hose so it gets his seriously unbelievable abs to glisten, and he whips his wet hair back from his face while his incredible blue eyes bore deeply into us like we wish he would deeply bore into… other things. Dawn, as she watches, has to fan herself and then a wind that exists nowhere else on the property whips her hair to and fro with the magnitude of Trey’s sexuality. All the while there is a camera lens poking from the bushes. Dawn is caught, Trey teases her, which would be a good ending to the scene, but the cameraman pokes his head out of the bushes and praises himself on the great shots, which is the perfect note to end that staged scene on.
Rom-coms are a staple for a reason. They make love an attainable and accessible affair. We like them because of their familiarity. That’s not a detriment like with most film genres. Yet, even with the chemistry of a couple, the twists and turns in a story, and a great happily ever after, the details can sometimes ruin the fantasy. The Wrong Paris is a charming rom-com, but most of the pieces outside the couple, and especially the idea that a guy like Trey could ever think twice about a woman like Lexie (Madison Pettis), are just a step too far. If you’re looking to just sit down with a glass of something and unwind from the day, you can do a lot worse than The Wrong Paris, but if you want something with more to it than genre trappings in a new setting, pick a ’90s rom-com instead.
