Netflix's 'The Half of It' Review: A heartwarming coming-of-age queer tale of friendship and love from Alice Wu
Spoilers for Netflix's 'The Half of It'
In tiny, quaint, wet, damp Squahamish, Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) is a young hustler in the last year of her high school. An extremely smart girl, she is also cash strapped and writes papers for $20 for the other children in her high school.
However, she does so with such intellectual flair that coming up with five different takes on Plato and his ideas is a cakewalk for her.
This sharing of knowledge and ideas doesn't go unnoticed as even her teacher Mrs Geselschap (Becky Ann Baker), who impressed by the proficiency of her student urges her to go to a liberal college, but Ellie realizes she has responsibilities.
Ellie is a hustler like no other you have seen — not only does she writes papers for her dimwitted peers, she also takes on the household work — paying bills, running errands, cooking and stepping in for her father.
She now has a new task at hand — Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) wants to write Aster a love letter. Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire) is a beautiful, quiet, mystical young lady Paul cannot get out of his head. Not so good with words, he struggles to get through a poorly written first draft that is completely omitted and rewritten by Ellie.
However, here's the thing — Ellie is not just good with words, she likes Aster too. Which is why she first rejects Paul's requests to help her. But after she finds herself in urgent need of money, she accepts the offer — begrudgingly at first but owning up to it.
Aster is a challenge — she might be dating the most popular (and daft) student in the school, but she nurses an intellectual curiosity just like Ellie. They talk about everything from movies and literature to life and its existentialism.
Sharing moments of small joys and big questions, the two — unknown to Aster of course — form a quick bond. It takes them no time to ride the same vibe together.
Even though Aster thinks she is talking to Paul through — despite the unsettling nature of their in-person meetings — she builds an immediate connection with Ellie. After spending an entire day with her, Aster returns to Paul to confirm her feelings and is momentarily pacified upon receiving said confirmation, but is that really the case?
Leah Lewis is such a pleasant surprise in the movie. Headstrong and dedicated, Lewis displays Ellie's strong suits and weaknesses with an air of ease - slipping in the character's skin with comfort.
Her backstory is also revealed over the course of the movie. Ellie, who has moved to America from China at the age of five, shares a close yet strained relationship with her father, which takes a turn for the better post-climax.
'The Half of It', we're pleased to say, is a fresh draft of air, a change from the stale signature productions Netflix. Just as Ellie had told us, the movie is not a love story — a disclaimer akin to one audience received after at the beginning of Marc Webb's '500 Days of Summer'.
It is, in fact, a story about friendship. After all, it is through her association with Paul, and the subsequent events, that prompt her to come out of the closet.
Paul, upon developing feelings for Ellie over the course of their plan together, is a little dejected when confronted with the truth. But he is a genuinely good guy and then goes out of his way to make some things work in Ellie's favor.
One could easily — and wrongly — put 'The Half of It' in the confines of a romantic comedy. Because it really is a joyful story of friendship and truth.
Ellie had never lied to herself about who she is, but she never even tried finding the right words for her feelings hiding behind the dearth of work and responsibilities. And now, she has.
Written and directed by Alice Wu, and filled with a healthy dose of liberal arts ideas, 'The Half of It' is a Cyrano de Bergerac-inspired wonderful, heartwarming story of friendship and love. The movie won the US narrative feature competition at the first-ever virtual Tribeca Film Festival 2020.
One look at the trailer and the fact that the movie is about queer romance is obvious, but inside that is a wonderfully and thoughtfully shot tale. Do not miss it for it makes for an immensely pleasing watch — you will find yourself smiling in its most surreal moments.
'The Half of It' is currently streaming on Netflix.