I ought to begin by mentioning that Netflix has finally made the better YA romcom after years of trying sporadically. Truth be told, I failed to approve of the hype surrounding movies like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, The Kissing Booth and so on and so forth. The Half of It however has a soothing tone with a very breathable ending and that is why I can safely call the movie the better YA romcom made so far. The plot of The Half of It might be similar to the plot point of Sierra Burgess Is a Loser where the protagonist helps another person to write letters to their crush but that is where the similar semblance meets and dies. The Half of It is a story of an overachieving girl, Ellie Chu, who has to write extra papers for her classmates in exchange for money, to make ends meet. One day when Ellie is forced to decide to write a letter to her crush on behalf of another guy, she gradually begins to turn her life around as well. Not only does she gain a really good friend but she literally begins to be unburdened and it shows in her demeanor.
The movie brings forth comparatively fresh faces to the screen. The protagonist is a Chinese girl played effortlessly by Leah Lewis. Alexxis Lemire plays Aster Flores pleasantly and Daniel Diemer plays the very grounded and humble jock Paul Munsky. The story takes place in the small town Squahamish, Washington and the locations shown in the movie justify the smallness of the town with worn out and dilapidated buildings among a few rich households. The elite of the town happen to also own a lot of buildings and the offspring of the elites is of course a self-centered, daft and pretty white boy who is pretty forgettable. Director Alice Wu chooses to focus her efforts as a writer on the three main character mentioned above throughout the movie by providing the occasional nod to Ellie’s father who had big aspirations about living the American dream only, he is unable to do so because of his neglect and lethargy to learn the English language efficiently. The moments that Ellie’s father received are nothing short of endearing. The movie in general is a structured compilation of several noteworthy endearing moments.
The movie with all its pros and cons does not abstain from concentrating on the point of friendship above and before every other form of relationships. The growth of both Ellie and Paul’s respective characters through their friendship is my favorite part about the movie. Aster however feels like a dull character when she constantly chooses to be with her air headed boyfriend despite her glaring disinterest towards him. Her sexuality clashing with her religion does not seem like a good enough reason for her character to hide behind her socially acceptable white boyfriend. It may keep prying people away from her but at the same time she does not keep herself from openly dating Paul in the small town whilst having a boyfriend. Aster is definitely an intelligent character but the use of her character to the story is comparatively disparaging. Aster only has one real moment of connection with Ellie, in a pond, and the conversation that ensues there is both fascinating and thought provoking. Ellie and Paul however have several moments of real bonding beautifully filmed, the point where they watch a Bollywood movie and make fun of the guy running after the train carrying the girl generated several bouts of laughter out of me. The director chooses to use that moment as a reminiscing factor in the end of the movie when Ellie finally goes towards her deserved direction.
The movie places importance on intellect and art as well and the words and paintings chosen or used, fit into the frame immaculately to add to the overall calming tone of the movie. The tunes used to depict certain moments also add value to the movie. The comedic bits in the movie are subtly placed which again adds to the tone of the movie. The tone of the movie is a huge part of why I approve of the movie and if you feel like watching something subtly quirky yet calming then you should give this movie a go.