At the start of Netflix‘s The Half Of It, the lead character Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) cautions that: “This is not a love story – or not one where anyone gets what they want”. The elevator pitch is a charming, queer-slanted teen coming-of-age update on original catfish Cyrano de Bergerac. Similarly to recent Netflix smash Sierra Burgess Is A Loser, Ellie uses a proxy to woo her popular classmate Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire) – namely the inarticulate jock Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer). What actually unfolds is a touching portrait of a vital, meaningful formative friendship between a young lesbian and a straight male – while the gay guy/female bestie dynamic (typified by ’90s sitcom Will & Grace) has become a trope, The Half Of It‘s reverse gender pairing is refreshingly original.Streaming now on Netflix….

Source nme.com: ‘The Half Of It’ review: queer teen romcom hits required emotional beats