You Get Meis your fairly stock, run of the mill revenge/scorned thriller. Set in the world of high school, the really interesting thing about this film is thatYou Get Meis aNetflix Original Film. Tyler (Taylor John Smith) breaks up with Alison (Halston Sage), despite being in love with her, because he believes she has a past that he just can’t seem to reconcile. So he has a night to remember with Holly (Bella Thorne) only to remember (as most men do), that they actually love the person they’re committed to. Alison and Tyler resume however, but, you guessed it, Holly isn’t done with Tyler. Not by a long shot. What ensues is the classicFatal Attractionset-up in which Tyler and Alison eventually find themselves both at odds with Holly. I could say more but you know how this whole thing ends up.
Truthfully, you let me down a bit here, Netflix. Before we get into that let us focus on the positive.Director Brent Bonacorsoand his Director of Photography Magadalena Gorka (Paranormal Activity 3) have put together a very nice looking film. Bonacorso seems to have something of a music video background (he’s done some work with Katy Perry), and all of that is on display here. This film is bright, bubbly, but also carries with it a certain sense of foreboding. And, for the kind of film thatYou Get Meis, that more than does the job here. This says nothing of the synth soundtrack that plays like the 1980s on steroids. Also, current technology like texting is also used to solid effect. In many ways the texts in this film play like another character that is sort of overlooking the proceedings. Sort of like a digital Greek Chorus.
However, for all the attributes that Bonacorso and Gorka have tossed into this film, it is hard not to acknowledge the “been there done that” feeling thatYou Get Mehas. In fact, this film so much reminded of other films that I had to check out some reviews just to ensure that I wasn’t going crazy with comparison envy. That isn’t the only thing that makesYou Get Mefeel uninspired. With a plot that viewers are this familiar with there needs to be more of a hook. There isn’t one here. The actors are all solid. They all look the part of the characters they are playing and they acquit themselves well. The only problem is that you never feel that they are being utilized to their fullest potential.
All that being said the entity that I think is really at fault here is Netflix. I say that because this is the company that gave usHouse of Cards,Stranger Things,Orange is the New Black,The OA, etc…And nowYou Get Me. You see what I’m saying?
I know that people are going to say that that is just what studios do. Some of what they release is brilliant and some of what they put out isn’t. The problem is that Netflix has always struck this wag as being more of astandard barer. They weren’t just putting things out. Netflix was trying to revolutionize the viewing experience. Well, at least that’s how everything started. Now they slowly seem to be taking their place in line with the other studios that came before them. The same studios that seem to be scrambling to get in front of the curve that Netflix holds the lead in. For now.
The big question is willYou Get Mebe a mereblip on the ascending Netflix ladder? Or, will we look back atYou Get Meas one of the films that ultimately foretold Netflix’s demise.
