The rom-com genre has been flourishing in recent years thanks to streaming, leading to an inherent excitement every time a new offering rolls around. Prime Video’s latest contribution, Prarthana Mohan’s Picture This
, slots in easily next to the other solidly charming efforts from the service, such as last year’s Upgraded or 2022’s I Want You Back. It doesn’t reinvent the rom-com wheel, but it makes for easy, pleasurable viewing.
Picture This is based on the Australian movie Five Blind Dates.
A lot of that is because of Simone Ashley’s vibrant starring turn. The Bridgerton star has successfully made the jump from period romance to the dysfunctional world of modern dating, and it’s a true delight to see her in a lead role. Though Picture This isn’t quite as swoon-worthy as I’d hoped it would be, I’m sure it will resonate with more than a few people who love a good love story.
Picture This Proves Simone Ashley Is A Star
A Familiar Rom-Com Premise Gives Her Space To Excel
Ashley plays Pia, a pH๏τographer running a struggling portrait studio as she approaches turning 30. With her beloved younger sister Sonal (Anoushka Chadha) about to be married, Pia’s feeling pressure from her mother Laxmi (Sindhu Vee, reuniting with Ashley after they played mother and daughter on Sєx Education) to find someone of her own, despite her continued insistence that she might not want to get hitched at all. In other words, she begins the movie as your typical modern-day rom-com heroine.
Ashley balances her character’s many layers with ease, turning her into someone we can all relate to in our own way.
When Pia reunites with the ex-boyfriend who broke her heart, Charlie (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), at one of Sonal’s pre-wedding events, she decides to allow her family to set her up on a variety of blind dates. Like all good rom-coms, it’s clear where Picture This is going from there: Pia’s various dates go awry, all while she keeps coming into contact with Charlie. Intertwined with the main story are Pia’s efforts to keep her studio alive with the help of her best friend Jay (Luke Fetherston) and her clashes with her family, who seem so very different from her.
Tapping into her comedic side to great success, Ashley shines as Pia. As confrontations later in the movie highlight, the prickly pH๏τographer has her own issues, but she’s too busy harping on her family’s flaws to recognize them. Ashley balances her character’s many layers with ease, turning her into someone we can all relate to in our own way. She makes a strong case for her receiving more leading roles in the future.
In Terms Of A Rom-Com, Picture This Is A Little Lacking On The Rom
But There’s Enough Sweetness To Keep It Afloat
Pia’s poorly conceived blind date plan brings her into contact with several questionable suitors, including Ted Lᴀsso star Phil Dunster as a problematic yoga instructor with some red-flag beliefs. Through it all, though, she keeps being drawn into Charlie’s orbit. I had some apprehension about Fiennes Tiffin’s ability to play a dreamy romantic lead, as I am not a fan of his best-known character, Hardin Scott from the After franchise. However, he also gets the chance to loosen up a bit and be adorably playful with Ashley, making his relationship with Pia one to root for.
At the same time, Picture This at times feels less about the central romance and more about Pia’s journey in general. This isn’t a bad thing, as she’s an interesting character and Ashley gives a great performance, but it does mean I wasn’t waiting on the edge of my seat for Pia to find love. Additionally, screenwriter Nikita Lalwani doesn’t quite give Pia and Sonal’s dynamic enough attention; late-breaking developments between the two characters rely on us feeling invested in their sisterly bond, but we don’t feel it so much as we are told that it exists.
What results is an enjoyable rom-com with plenty of humor and a compelling lead that might not be as memorable as other тιтles in the genre. As a second-chance romance, Picture This hits the right notes and ends with the kind of happy ending we could all use these days. I’m hopeful this will lead to more rom-coms for Ashley, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. In the meantime, I’ll just remain content with the fact that rom-coms are sticking around, providing a perfectly sweet escape whenever it’s needed.
