Good on Paper Review: A Wild Ride That Unfortunately Isn’t All That Great
Good on Paper is an absolutely crazy ride; you never know where it is going to take you. Unfortunately, it falls short on delivering laughs and being entertaining.
The film promises to be basically the opposite of a rom-com, which is a great concept, and Good on Paper does have a lot of potential. The leads, Iliza Shlesinger and Ryan Hansen, have such great chemistry and play off each really well. But it isn’t enough to make the film into something great.
If you’re expecting Good on Paper to be the star of your movie night, you’ll find it underwhelming. Instead, it is a film that is more suited to be watched in the background as you do other things.
Occasionally, you may laugh or find yourself interested in what’s going on, but for the most part, it’s nothing special.
I go back and forth on Dennis and Andrea. On the one hand, I would’ve liked to see more of their chemistry and fallen a little bit more in love with them, or at least liked them more, on the plane before the obvious manipulation kicked in.
But on the other hand, maybe the point is that we don’t ever like them together. It’s more about falling in love with Andrea and being with her on this absolutely insane journey she’s embarking on.
As it stands, it’s hard to care about Andrea and Dennis’ relationship or want to watch how it all plays out. You can’t really get too invested in this tale.
The highlight of the entire film is when Andrea, Margo, and Serrena travel to Dennis’ house, which is somehow in both Beverly Hills and Hollywood. There’s banter, fun moments of suspense, a fantastic female friendship dynamic, and walkie-talkies.
It is everything I wished the film would be. But no other moment lives up to this one, and it comes too late in the film to offer any hope that Good on Paper could turn itself around. The same can be said for the scenes between Andrea and Dennis after she learns the truth.
Lastly, we have to talk about the voiceover.
When a show/film uses voiceover, it is almost always to its detriment. No one really seems to know how to utilize it in a way that benefits the story and the characters. Instead, it comes across as annoying. This is the case with Good on Paper.
The one time the voiceover is helpful is when it establishes that some time has passed between Andrea and Dennis’ first night of hanging out and where they are weeks/months later. The montage could’ve done the same thing without the voiceover.
The voiceover is an extended version of Andrea’s comedy set, so having both the voiceover and the scenes of her set is overkill. They are trying to accomplish the same thing, and it’s too much.
While I love Shlesinger’s stand-up, Andrea’s set rarely gets a laugh. On top of that, the scenes of her set take away from the story instead of adding to it. The same goes for the voiceover.
What did you think of Good on Paper? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Good on Paper is now streaming on Netflix.
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Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a show to binge-watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).