Match Me If You Can

"Match Me if You Can" is a heartwarming rom-com directed by Marian Yeager about a computer nerd rejected by a dating app, blogs about her experience and ends up unintentionally leading a revolution for all the singles feeling left out. Set against my hometown of Austin, TX, the film's local charm adds an extra layer of magic for me. The characters' quirks and vulnerabilities make them instantly lovable and super relatable. And of course, who could forget the adorable mastiff and mudi pup that steal the screen for me whenever they show up :-) In a world of rom-coms, this one stands out for its genuine message - that you are enough.

This had all the building blocks to make a great story but the was just something technically missing at each point. The story concerns Kip a female computer nerd. She works for a tech firm and plays some sort of computer game on the weekends. She is played by Georgiana Riley who is pretty. Kip decides to try at dating site called "I promise" -- sort of E harmony - promising an algorithm to match her. The problem not only does the site tell her that she is "unmatchable" it tells her she is a loser and needs to get a dog. Shocked she writes on a blog what happened and it goes viral.

Now we go to the owner and coder of "I Promise" Riley Detamore (Wilson Bethel) a shy computer geek guy who has involved his entire family in the business and when he gets wind of what happened to Kip - has no idea how his system could send that response. Of course his program isn't supposed to send responses like that. "I promise" reaches out to Kip and through that Riley and Kip meet and fall for each other.

The technical problem with the movie is that it has no "heart". There isn't a lot of music in the movie and that doesn't help it... the music that is in the movie is like random plain jane music - not keyed to the story. The script is ok but under written with just the basic lines you need to know usually cut off too quickly. There is a court scene that is so terrifyingly wrong I just wanted to jump into the screen and stop it.

I ended up watching the whole thing because I wanted to find out what happened with the email telling the main character to get dog. If not for that I probably would have turned it off.

"I know I'm not a real woman, my shoes don't hurt, I like math" is an actual line from this embarrassingly sexist, small-minded film. I haven't looked it up, but this was either written by an oblivious man (likely) or a self-hating woman. Whatever this film thought it was doing, glorifying things the writer associates with being "male" that "real women" don't do/don't get -- even though they are gender-neutral things like enjoying math -- is hateful toward women in an attempt to make the lead actress seem "so not like other girls." And you might think, "It's a romcom, it's not that deep." It is actually that deep. These media depictions are damaging. And honestly, who is this romcom targeting? What audience was so pick-me, they were like, "YES, I FEEL SEEN. The only way to feel good about myself is to tear down anything perceived to be feminine." I shut it off after about fifteen minutes. Maybe it comes back around and it doesn't make you feel nauseated, but it wasn't worth the gastrointestinal distress in the interim. Glad this has clearly done so poorly, as the world is better off with less exposure to it.

Loved the message the movie send. Storyline was predictable but done in a a cute nerdy way. Very relatable and made me laugh which is what I was looking for. Loved watching a nerdy love story, female lead was funny, thought there was great chemistry. More realistic than most of these movies, or at least more relatable. The acting wasn't all great but it didn't take away from any it. I'm giving it a higher rating because being a bit nerdy myself the movie made me feel good, which the point of the kind of movies I suppose lol. Normally I never write a review but I would like for my fellow nerds out there to see this hence giving it a horrible first try.

IN A NUTSHELL: When a female computer nerd is rejected by an online dating service as "unmatchable", she declares war on the dating service, becoming a reluctant spokeswoman for all the frustrated singles out there. The problem is that the dating service swears they didn't reject her.

The romantic comedy was directed by Marian Yeager. Writing credits go to Betsy Morris. Already, the film has been nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Dallas International Film Festival.

THINGS I LIKED: Georgina Reilly plays the leading lady and does a great job. I had never seen her in anything before, although she has been in other films. I believed her character's quirkiness and thought she had good chemistry with the leading man, played by Wilson Bethel.

Speaking of Wilson Bethel, he is best known for his roles in "Hart of Dixie" and "The Young and the Restless." When I read his bio, everything was written in past-tense verbs, suggesting that he had died. He's one of the celebrities who has been a victim of the recent death hoaxes on social media. He is very much alive and still acting!

All of the characters are well defined, creating an effective, amusing ensemble. Others in the cast include Brian George, Billy Armstrong, Veronica Wylie, Charlie Clark, Kanwar Singh, Bradley Ofoegbu, Ava Torres, Jennifer Griffin,and Sahara Ale.

There's a lot of quirky, nerd humor that will either make you laugh or roll your eyes with a smile on your face.

I had a little pet crab like the protagonist has in the movie.

Cute shout-out to Chewbacca.

I thought it was funny that several of the characters regularly participated in Zombie LARPING. It actually looked really fun. If there were a group like that in your city, would you want to be on Team Zombie or Team Human?

Dog lovers will appreciate the dog adoption element of the story.

I love the t-shirt that said, "Running code is my cardio." Ha ha Cute, quirky music, just like the romantic leads and other cast members. The original music was by Brian Satterwhite.

The story incorporates today's dating-app world, as well as technology and culture norms.

Bloggers will be encouraged to continue writing. It's therapeutic for the blogger and often very helpful to the readers.

The side story with the Theo Gutierrez as the Lawn Chair Man was sweet.

Keep watching during rolling credits at the end of the movie for some cute animations.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: It's ridiculous that a computer programmer couldn't retrieve a deleted email. Seriously?

It starts slowly and takes its time.

There are definitely some overacting moments; however, that's part of the charm of this goofy comedy.

It's definitely formulaic and predictable.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Young kids will be bored because it's a movie about dating.

We see several gay couples together and one kissing.

We see women in jail.

Some "light" profanity.