Most romcoms on streaming platforms aim straight at a target audience, looking for nothing more than a couple of hours of stress-busting popcorn entertainment. The Wrong Paris directed by Jabeen Damien ticks all the boxes—good looking leads, beautiful locations, some comedy, some tears and a predictably satisfying end.
Dawn (Miranda Cosgrove) lives in a small town working as a waitress and dreaming of going to art school in Paris. Finding herself short of funds, she is egged on by her sister to audition for a reality show called The Honey Pot, in which a bunch of women try to attract a rich bachelor.
If the very premise sounds awfully sexist in today’s times, the film also turns around the gender gaze to a hunky bare chested male, sexily washing a horse, and then spraying himself with water, as the female lead stares.
The producers of the show offer a big cash prize for appearance, and claim the shoot is in Paris, so Dawn is thrilled. But, she, and the other very competitive participants, are shocked to find themselves not in France, but in Texas. She is forced to stay on, bound by the terms of the contract, but hopes to be eliminated as soon as possible, so that she can go off to art school.
The bachelor in question is the very handsome and really handsome rancher Trey (Pierson Fode), whom she had briefly met at the restaurant where she works. The other contestants include the vain and pushy Lexi (Madison Pettis), a science wiz genuinely looking for love, Jasmine (Christin Park), the vulgar biker Heather (Veronica Long) and the desperate to marry Cindy (Madeleine Arthur). Dawn tries to be as difficult as possible, so that Trey eliminates her, but he seems to like her truculence.
The show’s producer (Yvonne Orji) roots for Dawn right from the start, when the show runner (Torrence Coombs) wants her out. The formula of this kind of romcom dictates that Dawn be different from the other squealing and screaming women, fighting for the best costumes and throwing themselves at the wealthy rancher. Trey is also attracted to Dawn for that reason, she doesn’t try to charm him—though why is a man so gorgeous in every way, still single?
The Wrong Paris is silly yet amusing and there is chemistry between the two leads. It is also good to see that Dawn is more girl-next-door than princess, and takes her work seriously. Of course, to highlight her desirability, the other women have to be portrayed as bimbettes. Only Jasmine turns out to be a true friend to Dawn, when she sees the romance brewing.
The film is not an intense, memorable romance, but within the narrow realm in which it chooses to exist, it fits.
The Wrong Paris
Directed by Janeed Damian
Cast: Miranda Cosgrove, Pierson Fode,Madison Pettis and others
On Netflix
