"Good on Paper" subverts rom-com formula with sharp Shlesinger
Good on Paper (2021) In archaic and more idealistic times, “Good on Paper” would have been a sweetly schematic romantic comedy. You know the kind, where a meet-cute leads to “will-they-or-won’t-they?” tension and temporary obstacles, all ending in a race to the airport for a public declaration of love. Fortunately for us, stand-up comedian Iliza Shlesinger’s stranger-than-fiction dating anecdote didn’t quite go that way, and fortunately for her, writing the feature script for this subversive anti-romantic comedy must have been cathartic. It’s refreshingly more personal and formula-breaking than any high-concept romantic comedy tends to be, and with “Good on Paper,” Shlesinger’s unapologetic honesty and self-deprecation come through in her first leading role. This is her “Trainwreck,” albeit with a so-crazy-it-must-be-true hook involving a whip-smart, career-focused comic eventually falling for a serial liar who doesn’t even look the slick part. Iliza Shlesinger plays a version o...