Premiering on on April 2, “Just Say Yes” entered the vast world of Netflix romantic comedies. As a lifetime hopeless romantic and rom-com lover, I was excited about this new foreign film; however, it just didn’t fill me with that rom-com “spark” I had hoped for.
“Just Say Yes” circles around Lotte (Yolanthe Cabau), a hopeless romantic reporter working behind the scenes of a television show. The story begins as she desperately awaits a dream proposal from her boyfriend and on-air co-worker, Alex (Juvat Westendorp), but is sadly underwhelmed by his lack of enthusiasm towards their relationship. It isn’t until Chris (Jim Bakkum) gets hired to jazz up the network that things start to get interesting. Like other typical rom-com meet-cutes, Lotte has a rough start one morning when a stranger, which ends up being Chris, spills coffee all over her. The tough day continues as Alex steals her idea and takes the credit for it. To make matters worse, there are technical issues with the station that turn her into a viral star overnight and her sister, Estelle (Noortje Herlaar), ends up sleeping with her boss, John. (Edwin Jonker )
As the film progresses, Lotte takes her frustrations out, deals with the downfall that comes along with her break-up, and starts working closely with Chris. To her dismay, he gets promoted to an on-screen reporter and becomes an instant hit. Together they work on bringing her confidence back to life, they even give her a makeover. Meanwhile, Chris and Lotte spend more time together making the cheesy rom-com shift from co-worker to love interest.
After gaining newfound confidence, Lotte struts back into work on a mission. She is determined to look forward; she even turns Alex down for the first time. It becomes evident that Alex is insincere, and the thought of those two reconciling is unrealistic, but that might be the point. It just didn’t add up. Meanwhile, Lotte and Chris’s relationship grows more substantial and more suitable. Just when it seems like Chris is ready to reveal his feelings, in true rom-com fashion, things take a sharp turn. In the end, there is your typical dose of drama, breakups and fairytale endings. I was satisfied with the outcome, but it was so predictable.
Another problem I had with this film was the dubb issue. As a movie from the Netherlands, I was expecting the original option with subtitles, but instead this was just dubbed in English, and the voices didn’t precisely match up. I’m interested in watching it in its original language. Netflix certainly could have done better in that department.
This are the kind of movie that many middle-aged moms and homeless romantics eat up. I think Netflix is okay with losing some money if they believe it appeals to a specific demographic. With a whopping 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, I seem to be in the majority and don’t suggest it is worth the stream, but if corny, unrealistic romance movies are your cup of tea, then definitely have at it!
“Just Say Yes” is available on Netflix.