‘The Perfect Find’ (2023) Review

The Perfect Find Synopsis: Everything is at stake for a 40-year-old woman: her career, her ticking biological clock, and her bank account. She risks it all for an intense, secret romance with the one person who could destroy her comeback.

In The Perfect Find, Jenna has hit rock bottom. She’s lost her beauty journalism job and has been dumped by her long-time boyfriend. After a year of hiding away at her mother’s house, Jenna finally finds the strength to form a comeback. She gets a small apartment in New York City and asks her career rival, Darcy, for a job at Darcy’s magazine, Darzine. Darcy agrees, on a trial basis, of course.

While out celebrating with friends, Jenna ends up kissing a man who is fifteen years younger than she is. The next day, she finds out the young man is actually Eric, Darcy’s son, who is Darzine’s new videographer. Jenna and Eric attempt to keep their relationship professional, but their attraction is too strong, which puts Jenna’s career at risk.

I knew almost immediately that I would enjoy The Perfect Find as soon as I heard Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday singing You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart. It felt very Nora Ephron-ish to me. The soundtrack doesn’t disappoint, either. It’s full of nostalgic songs (at least nostalgic for me!) and has a very old-school rom-com feel.

This age-gap romance felt natural, thanks to Gabrielle Union’s and Keith Powers’s chemistry. Union is an actress I’ve always admired, and I loved watching her bring Jenna to life. She’s a woman who has complete control of her sexuality while also struggling with self-doubt. Union is by far the anchor of this movie, her performance keeping it from drifting into the depths of potential ickiness. It helps that, while still young, Eric is pretty self-aware and mature for his age. I don’t know that their romance set me on fire, but it was enjoyable, nonetheless.

While I did like the romantic journey of Jenna and Eric, I have to admit; I really got a kick out of Gina Torres’s performance as Darcy. She is clearly having a ball in her role as the boss lady/protective mama, and she and Union on screen together is a true delight and, dare I say, the film’s highlight.

The Perfect Find is the perfect kind of romantic comedy to watch on a lazy afternoon, and I think this movie has the legs to become an underrated gem on Netflix. It’s certainly heads and shoulders above some of their recent rom-com offerings. Give it a watch!

Watched: 07.07.2023
Notable Song: You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart by Sy Oliver & His Orchestra