The new Netflix film, The Wrong Paris, was released on September 12th. This movie takes on a new role for reality TV. So far, it’s been everywhere on social media but what do people really think about it? Does this rom-com have more potential than people might expect?
The plot
Dawn (Miranda Cosgrove) is desperate to escape her small-town life in Texas. Things slowly take a turn when she’s accepted into an art school in Paris, France. Because she’s unable to afford to go there, her sister, Emily (Emilija Baranc), convinces her to go onto her favourite reality TV show, The Honeypot. Aside from this, the women also receive a payment for being on the show, giving them the advantage. Female contestants have the chance to go to a new location and compete against each other to be with a man, “the honey”. The last contestant standing has to decide whether they take “the money”, their winnings from the competition, or “the honey”, Trey McAllen (Pierson Fodé). This time, they’re on their way to ‘Paris’.
As Dawn has already met Trey, the two have almost instantaneous chemistry, making it harder for her not to drop out of the competition immediately. It sets the stage for both friendship and rivalry, especially with influencer, Lexi Miller (Madison Pettis).
Reality TV
The Honeypot is the key to the movie’s tension and opportunities. The candidates are almost expected to mould into certain stereotypes. They need to behave in a certain way to compete for the man rather than the money. This is almost encouraged by the leading producer, Carl (Torrance Coombs). Because Dawn focuses on her dreams rather than looking for a man, she and Carl don’t really get off on the right foot, really honing in on the reality behind the cameras.
However, there’s also an element of deceit in the show. The girls are not flown to France but to Paris, Texas and are forced to pretend that they’re somewhere else. After they all get off the plane, Dawn is the only one to confront the studio while the other girls feel the need to play along to help with the publicity. Almost straight away, the movie effectively shows the exaggeration of reality TV and the need for petty drama.
It starts to show that the contestants don’t always challenge each other, but the people they work with. There will always be someone rooting for you in the background while the other person ignores your views.
The relationships
In some sense, the reality of The Honeypot comes from Trey and Dawn’s interactions alone. It’s as if they start to play this game of hard to get even from their first meet. Either way, they both start to really understand and trust each other.
What I like most about this movie is that Dawn still remains fairly consistent in her character. It doesn’t necessarily exaggerate the trope of “I’m not like other girls” by having her skateboard or ignore everyone. She’s friendly and tries to get along with the contestants despite being different to them. At the same time, she’s also not afraid to break the rules when something doesn’t work for her. This is what really draws Trey in and allows the two to spend time together outside of the competition. It helps to build their chemistry aside from the others who feel the need to try to impress him. It really shows the message that relationships can and should grow naturally, even from a random conversation.
The villain
If you’ve been here long enough, you would know that the antagonist, Lexie Miller, is played by none other than Madison Pettis. She plays the sassy little sister in Cory in the House and the little girl in The Game Plan. It helps to make her role even more nostalgic and memorable and show her climb to where she is now.
Lexi is a ‘sweet Southern girl’ on the screen but past the cameras, there is extreme jealousy of Dawn’s relationship with Trey. In a typical movie fashion, this constantly leads to the two sabotaging each other to try to get close to him. At times, it can feel rather predictable or expected for her to behave in this extreme way, however, it’s also a great way to show that sometimes movies do need to have this trope to entertain people.
It really sets the stage for Dawn to prove herself during this challenge by being her authentic self rather than what others expect. In contrast, Lexi tries to behave in a way that people expect for Trey to fall for her immediately. This movie shows that the root of the rivalry is not only from them competing against Trey, but how different they are in terms of their personalities.
Overall views
The movie has received mixed reception. Some fans were excited about former child stars, Miranda Cosgrove and Madison Pettis, finally working together. Some critics have called it ‘charming’ while others see it as too exaggerated or cheesy. However, the movie has also become Number 1 on Netflix, showing it has the potential to be a memorable rom-com.
For me personally, growing up with Miranda Cosgrove, this movie had just the right balance between incredible chemistry and just enough predictable moments to make it interesting to watch. There were some great comedic moments, and I really felt attached to all of the characters in some way. From the girls wearing dresses and makeup to doing archery in one of the competition rounds, this film is not afraid to break the usual gender norms and allows each character to embrace their uniqueness in some way.
The Honeypot practically acts as a glue for the movie and shows the pressure that all of the girls face during this competition.
What’s next for Netflix?
The Wrong Paris is not the only brand new project in store for Netflix. With it being such a diverse streaming service, offering brand new projects, while also bringing back some classics. With school back in season, sometimes all you need is a good watch to get you through the week. There’s always something to look forward to and get ready for. Depending on what you like, there’s always something that will keep you engaged.
The Wrong Paris is now streaming on Netflix.
