Perfectly Single (2019)

(On TV, October 2021) I really wanted to like Perfectly Single more than I did. I’m an unusually supporting (even enthusiastic) viewer for BET-broadcast romantic comedies, and I’m rooting for all of them to succeed. But it doesn’t take all that much time for this film to show signs of frustrating clumsiness, and those only became worse as the film went on. It’s not as if the film doesn’t have its assets—the core idea of a career woman wrestling with impending middle-age and her lack of committed romantic relationship is familiar but strong, and the cast of the film is quite attractive. Shooting in Los Angeles means some vibrant scenery, and the dialogue is frequently as ambitious as it’s loquacious. In fact, it’s difficult to believe a film can miss with those assets—especially in the romantic comedy genre, which is exceptionally tolerant of imperfections as long as the basic formula is followed. But Perfectly Single repeatedly grates in many different ways. Even excusing the film for being made on a low budget does not excuse the slap-dash script, indifferent direction or some baffling creative choices. Where to start? Probably with the script, its constant irritations and its clear signs of having been put together at the last minute. Many of its flaws could have been excused had the tone been constantly closer to broad comedy—but the constant back-and-forth between bawdy farce and heartfelt romance is jarring and awkward. Florid dialogue feels forced, aberrant behaviour goes unchecked (such as an adultery subplot involving an insanely controlling wife, barely shrugged about), crude material is out-of-place and troubling assumptions are accepted without discussion. Even the fundamental building blocks of the script are dubious, put together without any discipline. Characters go in and out of focus without a strong structure, while time skips and significant events (such as a breakup) are glossed over, and some scenes directly contradict earlier scenes. (Two examples: In one scene, characters watch another undress, only to cut back to her still being clothed; in another pair of scenes, the adulterous wife tells her husband she’s going out on her own and to watch their kid, followed by another scene in which she establishes her affair alibi with a friend and says she’s off to pick up the kid at her mom’s. What?)  Even the viewpoint of the film feels dubious—initially female-centric, but marred by what’s clearly a male screenwriter, and then fuzzed up by screen time being divided in a badly introduced ensemble cast. The film’s conclusion, which is almost scientifically impossible to screw up in a romantic comedy, simply peters out with a weak and fuzzy climax, a meaningless gesture (like she’d forget picking up that dropped earring) and behaviour that escapes human normalcy. And all of this is without mentioning some strange editing choices and confusing sound mixing. Oh, and let’s not even mention the puerile tone of a script that seems to be examining turning 40 from the perspective of a 25-year-old—for such a smart character, our protagonist has some serious unexamined issues that simply don’t ring true. Writer/director Van Elder has really, clearly, amazingly screwed up here in so many ways that we’re left to wonder how the result made it to the finish line without anyone—producers, actors, editors, friends, neighbours, caterers—even trying to fix some of those issues. I did get some viewing enjoyment out of Perfectly Single, but it was a sense of wonderment at seeing how many strong assets were being wasted, how many ways the film could find to be irritating, and what changes could have improved it all.