Andy Pham ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer Analeigh Tipton and Jake McDorman in the series premiere of Manhattan Love Story. Photo Credit: Giovanni Rufino/ABC.Manhattan Love Story is exactly what it was presented to us in the trailer: some nice mood lighting, bright colors, and quirky characters. It seems like this is becoming a trend for cable television, with the upcoming series A to Z presenting a similar “he said, she said” type of romantic comedy about couples that need a little work to find each other. Don’t get me wrong: I am a sucker for romantic comedies. They are like candy to our emotions, allowing us to pretend that perhaps one day, we will incidentally run into a stranger in the rain and spill coffee on our shirt, and make some nice small talk leading to a date, followed by some overly exaggerated problems, and it will be resolved over the course of ninety minutes.
However, when a rom-com is presented as a series, it is hard to distinguish it enough for one to tune in every week to follow a relationship of two people we have JUST been introduced to. The gimmick of Manhattan Love Story is that while the series is presented as what appears to be a typical romantic comedy (a story told from his point of view, and then from hers), it infiltrates internal thought monologues from the two lead actors, hoping to emphasize the difference between how men and women think. Jade Catta-Preta and Analeigh Tipton in the series premiere of Manhattan Love Story. Photo Credit: Giovanni Rufino/ABC.
The series stars Jake McDorman (Greek and Shameless) and Analeigh Tipton (America’s Next Top Model) as the spotlighted couple of this so-called “love story.” Right off the bat, I already knew I had to accept that this was going to be filled with stock characters you would see from any other rom-com. You get Dana (Tipton), the quirky, plain-Jane type gal who loves fashion but is hopeless in the love department; Peter (McDorman), the slick and sharply-dressed city boy who sees women more so as objects than anything else; Amy (Jade Catta-Preta) , the sassy and quick-witted best friend of Dana who likes to meddle in her friend’s life; David (Nicolas Wright), the best bro of Peter who looks out for his friend; and lastly, uptight and unfriendly co-workers (Chloe Wepper and Kurt Fuller) in Dana’s new office who she will need to gain respect from. Do these characters sound familiar? I thought so, too.
I guess with a title such as Manhattan Love Story, you have to brace yourself for some major enforcement of typical gender roles. McDorman’s character plays off as a jerk who clearly is new to relationships and has a vibe of “Alpha Male” (but hey, I guess every character has got to start somewhere). Tipton’s character Dana has an obsession with purses, and is the emotional/hopeless train wreck we expect her character to be when it comes to love. Then again, isn’t contrasting characters the formula for these “Will they, won’t they” relationships? Analeigh Tipton in the series premiere of Manhattan Love Story. Photo Credit: Giovanni Rufino/ABC.
Albeit a predictable pilot with predictable characters, the show has its quirks that can make it appeal to audiences. I believe this is a show where little nuances is what makes the difference. The most memorable scene of the pilot is the successfully depicted train wreck of a first date that was shown in the trailer. Here is where the narration really kicks in (and perhaps the only time it was actually worth listening to), giving the show its identity as an unintentionally Woody Allen-esque romantic comedy. This scene is one of the few moments in the show where the characters are revealed more so through their actions than some typical dialogue and fashion. Picture this: a nice and dimly-lit restaurant–Peter is well-dressed and just wanting to get through a date with a girl all the while pretending he did just not awkwardly witness her wiping her nose and checking her pits outside, and Dana, overcome with emotions and the pressures of a dreadful first date, starts sobbing. Perhaps the best moment was the quick cuts of Dana and Peter as their disastrous date unravels, along with quickly interspersed “Holy Sh*ts!” in the internal dialogues.
Overall, do I love this show? No. Will I keep following it? On a rainy day, perhaps. I believe there is something special and specific this show is trying to project, but it is very easy for it to get lost in the mix of any other romantic comedy stories. Manhattan Love Story airs Tuesdays 8:30/7:30c on ABC.
