Crush (2022)

*Premise spoilers.*

This was a cute romcom for Hulu. It’s fun to see LGBTQ characters get in on all the silliness and tropes of the genre, and the film has some delightful characters that are easy to root for.

Paige has had a crush on Gabby for years. Her best friend makes fun of her for it—pretty, popular Gabby is such an obvious person to crush on—but Paige has it full-on “the world goes into slow motion when she enters the room” bad. An odd turn of events sees the artsy, chronically-unathletic Paige joining the track team, where she hopes to finally catch Gabby’s eye. However, she’s paired with Gabby’s “mysterious loner” sister A.J. for training, and despite a rocky start, the two slowly start to realize how much they get each other (wouldn’t you know it?)

Yes, it’s predictable. I anticipated multiple plot beats way before they happened, including the resolution to a mystery almost the second it was introduced. But tropes are tropes for a reason, and when done in an entertaining way, there’s nothing inherently wrong with them. And besides, LGBTQ characters, especially young people, have been shut out of romantic roles for so many years, it’s only fair that they should get to play with the same easy, familiar plots that straight couples have done 40 gajillion times. As much as I love a show like Our Flag Means Death, that bowls me over with its depth and originality, a fluffy little film like this deserves its fair place too.

Because this movie is super cute and a lot of fun. Paige is adorkably smitten and tongue-tied around Gabby (I love her habit of nervously spouting random animal facts when she’s crushing,) and naturally, she at first hardly even registers how much easier it is for her to talk to A.J., how quickly they open up and get along after some initial friction. And if Paige is a lovesick open book, of course A.J. plays it closer to the chest. She comes across as so chill and aloof that people often forget about her next to social-butterfly Gabby, and while she doesn’t care about being popular, it hurts to be so unnoticed—it’s a big deal for A.J. when Paige starts to see her.

Side note: I love that the storyline really doesn’t involvement coming-out at all. There are no closeted romances going on, no Paige being the lonely “only gay” at school. We’re introduced to Paige, Gabby, and A.J. already knowing all three of them are out, and they’re not the only queer characters in the movie. Similarly, nobody is bullied for being LGBTQ—very refreshing.

The plot is bouncy and entertaining, with some sly humor and some terrific side characters. I like Paige’s relationship with her best friend Dillon, and there’s a fun recurring gag involving Chantal, a “wiccan lesbian” who apparently keeps trying to put love spells on Paige. Paige’s (overly) supportive mom pushes the humor too far at points, but she’s got great moments too.

Rowan Blanchard is sweet and rootable as Paige, adorably awkward and a complete mess, like so many romcom heroines are. I loved Auli’i Cravalho as Moana, so it’s great to see her playing A.J. here. She does a lovely job, by turns snarky, aloof, and vulnerable. Extra shoutouts for Isabella Ferreira’s perky Gabby and Tyler Alvarez’s solid Dillon. On the adult-comic-actor side of things, Megan Mullally is clearly having a blast as Paige’s mom, and the film also includes appearances from the always-welcome Aasif Mandvi and Michelle Buteau.

Warnings

Sexual references, language, and drinking/drug use.