The Half of It (2020) | agoodmovietowatch

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The Half of It 7.3 2020 Movie

The Half of It

Dir. Alice Wu · United States of America · English, French

An atmospheric romance that starts with “this is not a love story"

Netflix

Our take by Bilal Zouheir

This lovely romance is about Ellie, a straight-A student who takes money from a classmate, Paul, to write love letters for him. Ellie does this to help with the household bills but there is one big problem: the girl Paul is in love with is also the girl Ellie has a crush on.

This might seem like the set-up for a standard Netflix comedy (and if you’re thinking Bergerac, you’re right, it is based on the famous play) but as the introduction of the film reads: “This is not a love story … not one where anyone gets what they want.”

It is in fact, personal work from a brilliant and quality-focused director, Alice Wu. Her last movie, Saving Face, a pioneering lesbian romance set in an Asian American context, was released a long 15 years ago.

What happens

Shy, straight-A student Ellie is hired by sweet but inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help wooing the most popular girl in school. But their new and unlikely friendship gets tricky when Ellie discovers she has feelings for the same girl.

What the critics said

Notable Critics

"Thoughtful and brilliant."

— Grace Z. Li

"It's so tenderhearted and transporting, its characters so likable, that you can't help but want to give the movie and everyone in it a big hug."

— Bilge Ebiri

Awards

Spirit Awards

1 nom

Nominated: Best Screenplay

Comments

  1. A great romance. Beautifully scripted and acting was top-notch, thanks to the team for suggesting this epic classic :).

  2. This was a good one. I love all stories where any of the main characters is a cyclist. An easy watch. 5/5 would recommend.

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About the author

Bilal Zouheir

Bilal Zouheir

Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is US-based and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.