July 24, 2023
Bright debuts with a half-baked homage to Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen–obsessed architect Iza almost has it all—including a job she loves, a supportive best friend, and a cat—but she longs for romance. Her intimidating, controlling, and fiercely independent single mother, the cartoonish villain of the piece, is near fanatically opposed to Iza’s desire for male companionship, leaving Iza desperate for a boyfriend her mother will approve of. She gets some help in this endeavor when she shakes a bottle of nail polish and handsome Beckett, a genie, appears. He’s there to grant her three wishes, though he makes clear from the start that they may come with strings attached. Iza’s first wish (“for a twenty-first-century version of Mr. Darcy”) kicks off a long, strange journey of self-discovery as Iza is torn between Mr. Darcy, who may not be as dreamy as she hoped, and Beckett himself, whose frat guy exterior hides a heart of gold, but who Iza suspects may be “the Wickham” in her version of Austen’s plot. Humor and real chemistry between Iza and Beckett are highlights, but Austenites will quibble with Bright’s cynical take on Darcy and Iza’s romantic flip-flopping makes her a frustrating heroine. It’s a rocky start. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency.