Picture Credit: Netflix
From MPCA & producer Brad Krevoy (Irish Wish, Mother of the Bride), The Wrong Paris is the latest romantic Netflix film from director Janeen Damian, who previously brought Lindsay Lohan back for Netflix with her films Falling For Christmas & Irish Wish. This time around, she’ll move former Nickelodeon child star Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly, School of Rock) into the lead role following her supporting turn in last year’s Netflix rom-com Mother of the Bride starring Brooke Shields.
Written by Nicole Henrich, the story centers on Dawn (Cosgrove), a hopeful amateur artist from a small town in Texas, though you may not know from the utter lack of attempts at a Texas accent, who miraculously gets into her dream art school in Paris, France. Unfortunately, the school also denied her request for financial aid, so now tasked with coming up with 30k a year, she must find a way to get the money soon or her and her deceased mother’s dream might be gone forever.
Looking to help her big sister, Dawn’s younger sister Emily (To All The Boys franchise actress Emilija Baranac) convinces her to try out for her favorite reality romance competition show “The Honey Pot”, who just happens to be setting their upcoming season in Paris. After she manages to get on the show, everything seems to be lining up perfectly for Dawn and her future.
But when the show plot twists its way to Paris, Texas and her free ride to the City of Lights falls through, Dawn tries desperately to get eliminated as fast as possible, take her appearance fee, and set off for France with only art school on her mind. But when the one thing that she didn’t account for, falling for the cowboy bachelor (The Man From Toronto’s Pierson Fode), comes along, she’ll have to make hard choices to get the future she truly wants.
The Wrong Paris also stars He’s All That’s Madison Pettis, Insecure star Yvonne Orji, Charmed actress Christin Park, Titanic actress Frances Fisher, & To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before standout Madeleine Arthur.
If you’re interested in watching this film, let alone wanting to know what I thought of this one, you probably want to know the basics, like character chemistry and whether the story makes enough sense. You, also, might pretend to care, ignore what I say, and just point to Pierson Fode’s shirtless scene in the trailer and go for this anyway.
Picture Credit: Netflix
Well, for the more discerning fan of the streaming rom-com genre, you could do worse than spend your time here. Miranda Cosgrove & Pierson Fode DO have just enough chemistry and believability in their pairing to make you root for their success (guess that 1 episode of “iCarly” that Fode did back in the day really paid off); however, the movie also doesn’t try too hard to make you think otherwise. The reality show girls are mostly caricatures & stereotypes who don’t bring much to the table, and even the show’s producer is openly rooting for Cosgrove’s Dawn to make it to the finale. Don’t expect a lot of drama in this one.
Also, don’t expect the writing to blow you away either. Dawn’s art school dreams & family tragedy don’t add up to much and could confuse anyone who cares. Her parents died when she was “young”, but how young? Was she old enough to have true artistic talent that could be recognized by her mother to make a life goal of art school in Paris? Why Paris? What’s the connection? Was SHE French? Why couldn’t Dawn just go to a more local art school when she doesn’t get financial aid? Who keeps jars of money in a barn to secure their financial future? So many unanswered questions, with some that could have actually made the movie better. Writer Nicole Henrich’s background in reality show development may have made her uniquely qualified for the game, but not for the character development or backstory.
Casting is the standout for this one, as the movie means nothing if Pierson Fode’s Trey McAllen doesn’t live up to the “Honey Pot” moniker. Outside of doing his horse cleaning chores without a shirt, Fode brings a level of charm & sincerity that many wouldn’t expect from a Daytime Emmy-nominated soap opera star. He also convinced me enough of his cowboy Texas credentials that I looked up where he was born (small town, Washington state, for those keeping score). The film also did well with its reality show personalities, especially with Christin Park as the smart, adorable show friend Jasmine & Veronica Long as the brash Heather who looks like she’s having a lot of fun and is actually FROM Texas!
Of course, the question you have to answer is the one I posed before: When you hit play on this, what do YOU want to see? If you want a breezy reality show mockup that has some fun with leads that make enough sense together as to not turn on an ACTUAL dating competition show, this one could work for you. If you want character motivations that add up and more than PG-level romance, you may want to look for love elsewhere.
Watch The Wrong Paris If You Liked
- Irish Wish
- Mother of the Bride
- She’s All That
- Holiday in the Wild
- iCarly
- A Perfect Pairing
MVP of The Wrong Paris
Picture: Netflix
Pierson Fode as Trey McAllen III
As stated in the review, there is no Wrong Paris without a “Honey Pot” and Fode convinces his audience that he is worth altering their dreams for. While Miranda Cosgrove is a little bigger name with more to do, Fode sells the romance & the Southern charm the movie needs to be remotely believable.
A streaming TV movie rom-com that gives its core audience just enough off the checklist to not stray away. Fode is the straw that stirs the drink while Cosgrove & the reality show hi-jinks distract from some weak character & story conceits.
