Notes on…

The Half of It(2020)

Dir. Directed by Alice Wu

With its middlebrow literary references, a deceased mother adding an emotional edge, lukewarm woke political sensibilities, an obvious moral hierarchy of characters (with a public schoolteacher at its apex and the worst being goofy jocks or keg-bros), slightly kooky main characters with at least one race/culture trait that marks them off as 'off-beat', and the narrator with their hand on 'ironic vs sincere' control at all times... it's basically John Green fanfic. As another reviewer implies, this film would be better if it were gayer.

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Synopsis: Shy, straight-A student Ellie is hired by sweet but inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help wooing the most popular girl in school. But their new and unlikely friendship gets tricky when Ellie discovers she has feelings for the same girl.