The Half of It<\/em> follows the story of Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), an exceptionally smart yet shy high school student who is approached by school jock Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) to ask for her help in writing a love letter to his crush, the popular yet kind-hearted Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). FOUR STARS OUT OF FIVE<\/p>\n OUT NOW (NETFLIX)<\/p>\n RATING: PG<\/p>\n RUNNING TIME: 104 MINUTES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Netflix brings us a heartfelt story about love, friendship, romance and acceptance. The Half of It follows the story of Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), an exceptionally smart yet shy high school student who is approached by school jock Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) to ask for her help in writing a love letter to his crush, […]<\/p>\n
\nStrapped for cash, Ellie agrees to help Paul out, but there\u2019s just one issue: Ellie also has a crush on Astrid.
\nThis movie takes a fairly common high school romance plotline and tweaks it a bit to make something new and incredibly sweet.
\nFrom the first interaction alone, you can tell there\u2019s chemistry between Ellie and Astrid, and I spent the duration of the movie hoping they would get together.
\nThe film also gives a good deal of attention to the relationship that grows between Ellie and Paul.
\nThough both characters are very different from one another, they end up building a beautiful friendship that is as equally sweet as the romance in this movie.
\nThere\u2019s great character growth among the three leads, as their opinions shift and their confidence grows.
\nWhile some of the side characters are stereotypical cut-outs that you commonly see in high school dramas, there were a few stand-outs.
\nThis includes Ellie\u2019s father, Edwin Chu (Collin Chou), who also develops a friendship with Paul, and Ellie\u2019s English teacher, Mrs Geselschap (Becky Ann Baker), who adds the perfect amount of snark to the scenes she is in.
\nOverall, this was a solid teen romance flick. The characters were engaging and the narrative was entertaining with a satisfying ending.
\nIf you\u2019re in the mood for a good story about young love and friendship, I\u2019d recommend checking out The Half of It<\/em>.<\/p>\n