A modern Cyrano story where a sweet but inarticulate teen asks a quiet nerd to help him write letters to the girl he loves, The Half Of It is a cute YA watch.
Whether you’ve read the 1897 play of Cyrano de Bergerac or not, the story is a familiar one. A man is in love with a young woman, but because he has a large nose and is considered ugly, he doesn’t express his feelings. A different, more handsome man is also in love with her, but he is slightly dim-witted or tongue-tied and can’t express himself, so Cyrano pens letters that the woman believes the handsome man has written, but really, she is being courted by Cyrano. There have been many derivations of the story, including the most recent Cyrano with Peter Dinklage and Roxanne with Steve Martin, but this one is even more modern.
The Half Of It is about Ellie Chu, a quiet, nerdy girl in school who the popular kids pay to write their assignments for them. She secretly has a crush on classmate Aster, but can’t tell her. Popular football player Paul approaches Ellie with a proposition – he will pay her to write letters from him to Aster because he is in love with her but can’t express himself.
I really enjoyed the setup of this contemporary Cyrano story. They make no effort to hide it, and I am not familiar with any other version where the trio is two women and one man, which makes the scenario fresh.
The standard story is fleshed out with other unique storylines as well. Ellie is Chinese and manages a household where she lives with a depressed father and the memory of her mother, who passed away. Aster is dating the most popular guy in school, but she has a great deal of depth she can’t share with him and yearns to share it with someone. And Paul has his own family issues, with dreams that he can’t share because they won’t understand.
Also, while there are a few letters written between Ellie, Paul, and Aster, it ultimately becomes texting, which is much more believable for teens in the 2020s.
The teens are all likeable, and they are surrounded by adults who have good intentions. And while you may know what happens with Cyrano, there are a few unexpected changes that brighten this particular story.
The Half Of It is an easy film to watch, and it will give you a few laughs along with a bunch of smiles. Plus, a story becomes a classic because the events and the characters are ones that we want to share in, so when someone has something new to add, I am a fan. I think you’ll like this.
Runtime: 105 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG-13
Languages Spoken In The Film: English and some Mandarin with English subtitles
Whether you’ve read the 1897 play of Cyrano de Bergerac or not, the story is a familiar one. A man is in love with a young woman, but because he has a large nose and is considered ugly, he doesn’t express his feelings. A different, more handsome man is also in love with her, but he is slightly dim-witted or tongue-tied and can’t express himself, so Cyrano pens letters that the woman believes the handsome man has written, but really, she is being courted by Cyrano. There have been many derivations of the story, including the most recent Cyrano with Peter Dinklage and Roxanne with Steve Martin, but this one is even more modern.
