Picture This is a feel-good romantic comedy with a star-studded cast that centers culture, family, friends, and romance. In this romcom, Pia (Simone Ashley) is an independent woman running a photography studio in London with none other than her best friend Jay (Luke Fetherston). Pia’s sister (Anoushka Chadha) is soon to be married. This leaves their mother Laxmi (Sindhu Vee) persistent as she expresses her desire to have Pia live the same lifestyle as her sister and have a marriage of her own. In the film, Pia’s mother pushes her to get married by showing her heirlooms that may soon be hers once she gets married.
Hope may soon come Pia’s way when a spiritual guide at her sister’s engagement party has a strong prediction about Pia meeting the love of her life on her next five dates. Just when you thought Pia’s life was chaotic enough, life begins to get a little bit nutty. Amid her sister’s upcoming wedding, managing a photography business, and her ex, Charlie (Fiennes Tiffin), coming back into her life, each day brings a new twist.
What makes this movie work?
In Picture This, the actors have chemistry that works from all angles given. From the beginning of the film, the audience sees a robust cultural dynamic. In certain cultures, marriage is sacred and an expectation among young adults by their parents. The audience sees this in Pia’s relationship with her mother. Laxmi, Pia’s mother, has already prepared jewelry for her daughter’s wedding day. Viewers are automatically introduced to the cultural traditions of a family celebrating Indian heritage.
For many cultures, marriage is an expectation for young adults, so this part of the film gives off a familiar vibe to viewers, thus making the film more personal. This is a very effective approach to use when making a film. This technique makes the film relatable to many viewers, and adds a sense of realism to the movie. In addition to the strategic family dynamic, the overall chemistry amongst the actors is brilliant. From her friendship with Jay bringing in humor to the spiritual guru who gives her hope and something to believe in, all characters merge well comedically in this film.
Amongst Pia’s interactions with potential suitors, there are many characters the audience is led to believe she may have chemistry with. Once the chemistry is present, the element of comedy comes to play and drifts any romantic chemistry away between Pia and her not so good suitors. This element of surprise gives the film twists and helps stray away from the obvious. This is a technique many romcoms fail to do. In Picture This, this strategy happens to work well.
Not your typical romcom
Viewers will be lucky to learn that Picture This is not your typical romcom. Many romcoms tend to fall into the cliche of starting the film with two opposite characters who are usually male and female and don’t quite see eye-to-eye. This film rises above that narrative by bringing in a mixture of humor, romance, and heritage, thus eliminating any predictability viewers might get from other popular romcoms. Serious moments in this film are followed by humorous twists.
Importance of theme
In this film, the theme is an important aspect of what sets this movie apart from others. As the film begins, viewers might have a disdain for Pia’s mother and the pressure she puts on her daughter to marry. By the end of the film, viewers may realize that even an independent woman like Pia can have a change of heart and understand the value of love. It’s almost like her chaotic life with her family, career, and love contributes to her growth as a character once the film concludes. At the beginning of the movie, Pia is very standoffish on the idea of marriage. She even defines it as a “social construct.”
With her mind set on possibly having no marriage or children, the chaos that ensues in her life allows her to become confident in life’s challenges and what life may overall bring. Each character serves an important role in making the film thematic. The negative experiences Pia faces with her peers help her gain the clarity to understand what she wants. Every close male relationship Pia forms makes her realize who she should be with. As the film concludes, Pia chooses to embrace life and realizes that sometimes the unexpected is what one might need. Sometimes what‘s good for you is already there.
Worth the watch?
Picture This brings together laughter, chaos, and spontaneity to viewers. Fans of romantic comedies should prepare themselves to experience a movie built unlike the others. With Picture This, there’s no overused storyline. When watching this film, viewers won’t be sure what will happen next. The film is loaded with unexpected humor and innuendos, viewers are sure to be grinning from ear to ear. Viewers may believe the movie is going in one direction, only to be surprised by a humorous plot twist worth seeing.
Picture This is now available on Prime Video.
