I actually saw The Perfect Match when it came out in theaters. It looked like it had all of the makings of a movie I would enjoy. Terrance J (yum), an ensemble cast that included Cassie Ventura, Paula Patton, Lauren London and Orange is the New Black's Dascha Polanco and a steamy romance. But the movie fell flat with me (and trust me when I say that's not easy). Almost immediately after watching, I forgot almost all of the major plot points and the only way I'd actually remember that I'd seen the movie was if someone mentioned it by name.
The Perfect Match revolves around Charlie Mack, a self described playboy who doesn't believe in relationships. Charlie instead elects to parade a seemingly endless supply of beautiful, very temporary, women in front of his friends and sister who grow tired of his commitment-phobic ways. Hoping to finally get Charlie to settle down, his two friends issue a bet: they believe that if Charlie dated the same woman, exclusively for one month, he would fall in love with her. Charlie is skeptical until he meets Eva, a woman who like him is pursuing a no-strings attached relationship. Being with Eva ultimately causes Charlie to reevaluate not only his stance on love, but a lot of his other life decisions as well.
Having watched The Perfect Match twice more for this review, I can finally put my finger on why it didn't stick the first time around. Simply put, I needed more information. I couldn't put together what Charlie's issues were and why they impacted his ability to form a lasting relationship. I struggled to understand what his parents' death had to do with his fear of love. Everything felt really phoned in and underdeveloped.
This also led to another issue I had with the characters, more specifically with Charlie (Terrence J) and Eva (Cassie Ventura)'s relationship. Because so little in-depth information was given about the characters, I never really felt a reason to care about them or what they were going through. They all appeared shallow and Charlie in particular was more of a caricature than a truly relatable protagonist. I really couldn't like him throughout most of the film. Instead of coming across as a wounded guy who misplaces his fears and unresolved problems, Charlie seemed, frankly, like an a**hole who deserved to be alone. What we as viewers saw of his relationship with Eva was composed mostly of closely shot sex scenes and that one conversation about House of Cards. There was nothing to suggest a deeper connection. As a result, I couldn't really root for them to stay together or feel sorry for him when (spoilers) the relationship fell apart.
I really think this has more to do with the writing than the actors themselves. They all seem to be bringing their best to this film--with the exception of Cassie. Sorry, but homegirl was blander than Wonder Bread. Watching Charlie interact with his friends Victor (Robert Christopher Riley) and Rick (Donald Faison) was always sure to elicit a laugh from me. Dascha Polanco even had a few standout moments as Donald Faison's wife who wants to start a family but after months of trying cringes at the idea of sex with her husband. All in all, the meat of this story, Charlie, his fear of love and his relationship with Eva just didn't have enough substance to leave me satisfied as a viewer.