‘Meet Cute in Manhattan’ is a fun rom-com

Category: Television and Streaming

Meet Cute in Manhattan is a fun romantic comedy within a romantic comedy. The film was written by Karen Morey along with Terence Chen who stars as Jason Lin, an actor/screenwriter who finds himself smack dab in the middle of a real rom-com.

Chinese-American Jason is stuck in a relationship with his “influencer” girlfriend Chloe Wang (Amanda Shi) who is obsessed with posting great photos. She’s shallow and her apartment looks like a carton of Pepto Bismol exploded there.

Nora Dawson (Kendall Leary) is intent on getting a job as an architect so she can design buildings that stand the test of time. Her boyfriend Kip (Martin K. Lewis) is a bit controlling and has their entire life planned out. It’s up to her to follow the steps he set out.

While waiting for a job offer Nora works in a coffee shop and one day “bumps” into Jason, spilling his hot coffee on his favorite jersey. When she asks how she can make it up to him, he asks her to go with him to an audition for a commercial casting real-life couples for a dating app. Nora agrees even though she is apprehensive because they are not a real-life couple. 

What happens next is the fun part. It seems the two have crossed paths all over Manhattan throughout the years but never met until that fateful day in the coffee shop. As they talk about themselves in the audition, their chemistry impresses the director and they are hired. And, it seems, they are a bit hit when the ad comes out. So they are signed to do several more ads, each one is a nod to a famous rom-com: Sleepless in Seattle, Singing in the Rain, Roman Holiday, and more.

Meanwhile, as their ads are splashed all over Times Square and the entire city, their significant others are taken aback. There is definitely a strong chemistry between Jason and Nora, although they are the last to know.

Throughout the film Jason is describing their story to filmmakers as he pitches his screenplay, which is really the story that viewers see unfolding throughout the film.

There are many nods to romantic films throughout the movie as the story of Jason and Nora plays out.

Jason is a true rom-com aficionado along with his sister and parents who learned to speak English by watching romantic comedies when they came to America.

This is a cute story made for lovers of romantic comedies and romantic films. It captures the essence of a good rom-com, and with the elements of popular films woven throughout the story, it is truly a little gem of a movie.

The movie will be available to stream VOD via Prime Video, and more. It premieres March 28, 2025. The movie is rated PG-13.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Courtesy image used with approval