It's inevitable that any streaming service will start to make its own content (yes I hate that word, but in this scenario, it feels correct). Occasionally, word on the internet is that they're surprisingly good. Thus, I queued up one of the more notable new entries.
Quick Plot: Like many young women, Paola stumbles through the world of app-based dating with high hopes and deep disappointments. Finally, she seems to have found a classy, attractive, and normal match.
Considering this is a horror film called "Match", you'd be correct in having your doubts.
Paola and mystery date Henry agree to meet at his house. He's a caring guy who doesn't like to expose his ailing mother to COVID germs, which Paola finds charming. When she knocks on his door and meets aforementioned mother, things are less so.
Clad in a dingy bathrobe, Lucille is not immediate mother-in-law gold. She's rude and clearly racist. After a glass of wine and awkward conversation, Paola catches on: she hasn't been texting Henry.
Before she can swipe right, Paola passes out. She awakens in restraints as Lucille wheels her into Henry's room to start making grandkids.
Henry doesn't quite look like his picture.
Henry looks like Elizabeth Sparkle's little brother on an off day.
Trapped in a house that might have shared an architect with the setting of The People Under the Stairs, Paola struggles to escape in time for her father's surgery. Outside, her sister Maria suspects the worst.
Refreshingly, Match did indeed meets the expectations I had in being better-than-you'd-expect-when-you-hear-the-words-'Tubi original.' Director Danishka Esterhazy strikes a tricky horror comedy tone that's quite careful about balancing the awfulness of Lucille's crimes with the absurdity of the situation. The script felt zany in an interesting way, so I wasn't too surprised to discover it came from Al and Jon Kaplan, the same team behind the hilarious Silence! The Musical parody of Silence of the Lambs.
Match isn't perfect. The story gets a bit bumpy by the third act, and I thought the ending (no spoilers) was slightly darker than it needed to be. That aside, this was indeed a refreshing watch. The film even manages to navigate its offscreen sexual violence in a way that doesn't feel exploitive. There's a lot working here.
High Points
Sure, those of us watching a horror movie are probably screaming "FINISH HIM" at our expected final girl after she knocks her tormentor out, but Match actually uses this early moment to make a point about Paola. She can't just kill a deformed man she barely knows because she's a kind human being who isn't necessarily prepared to, you know, murder. Humberly González sells this decision quite well, and it goes a long way in us understanding what kind of person Paola is
Low Points
I understand the need to up the body count, but throwing new characters in at the last minute has mixed results. Natalie is a blast and brings out more of Lucille's awfulness, but Ryan's presence is just confusing
Lessons Learned
Watching too much TCM will lower your guard around romantics
Remove wine stains by dabbing, not wiping
Life is easier when you have good vomit aim
Rent/Bury/Buy
Match is a high recommend, and guess what? It's free with a few commercials on Tubi. Have at it.
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