Aahana Swrup
The Prime Video rom-com, ‘Relationship Goals,’ directed by Linda Mendoza, revolves around the dating experience in the modern world. The film centers around Leah Caldwell, who is up for a promotion at work as the first-ever female showrunner for the news station’s morning show. Even though her love life may be in a standstill, as she waits around for the perfect guy who checks off every item on her list, her professional life seems to be thriving. That is, until she finds out that the higher-ups are tossing another name in for contention: Jarrett Roy, the aspiring showrunner’s ex-boyfriend. As a result, a competition inevitably strikes between the two as Jarrett tries to prove his worth by pitching the upcoming Valentine’s Day segment as a piece about Pastor Michael Todd and his self-help book about the intersection between dating and faith. Along the way, the narrative dives into various realities of relationships as they unravel in the contemporary world, adding a sense of relatability and relevance to the characters’ stories.
Relationship Goals is Inspired by Michael Todd’s 2020 Non-Fiction Book
The narrative explored in ‘Relationship Goals’ is a work of fiction penned by screenwriters Michael Elliot, Cory Tynan, and Laura Lekkos. Even so, the film actually has a fascinating origin story rooted in reality. The rom-com draws inspiration for its fictitious narrative from the eponymous book ‘Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex’ by Michael Todd. The self-help title is a non-fiction guide to navigating romantic relationships in the modern world by building connections and centering one’s aims and goals. The book is founded on the real-life experiences, lessons, and philosophies of the author, who is a Christian pastor at the Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Notably, Todd based his literary work on his viral sermon series about dating, marriage, and sex.
As a result, the book sports a significant thematic basis in spirituality, faith, and specifically, the foundational morals of Christianity. In a conversation with Team Jesus Magazine, Todd spoke about his experience with the book and how he hopes for it to influence Mendoza’s film. “We did the sermon series. It went viral. It helped a lot of people. People got so inspired to aim at the right things and get their relationship with God right. I can’t tell you how many people came to faith, tens of thousands, because of the relationship goals in the book. Now to see that go to a movie and cast this net out further. I just think it’s going to be an amazing win for the kingdom, and it’s going to populate heaven and rob hell. And people are going to be able to see themselves.” Although the film is inspired by Todd’s book and sermon series, the storyline itself diverges from the source material. Even so, the author and his real-life novel, ‘Relationship Goals,’ play a prominent role in the story, infusing the film with a sense of realism.
The Fictional Characters of Relationship Goals Undergo Authentic Storylines
The central narrative in ‘Relationship Goals’ revolves around a workaholic woman named Leah Caldwell, who has high expectations about what she wants in her future romantic partner. However, rather than her love life, she is more focused on extracting success and happiness from her professional achievements. For the same reason, Jarrett’s entrance in her life ends up turning her entire life upside down. Additionally, the story also highlights the lives of Brenda and Treese, Leah’s friends.
The former, a daytime news show host, is in a possibly dead-end long-term relationship with a star athlete, while the other, a makeup artist, struggles with finding a serious boyfriend. All three women at the nucleus of the story have different personalities, life goals, and relationship problems. As a result, a variety of realistic personal struggles are explored throughout the film. This diverse depiction of romantic storylines centering around women allows the film to showcase numerous perspectives. Consequently, a wide range of the audience can find relatability and realism in the characters of Leah, Brenda, and Treese. Lead actress Kelly Rowland discussed the same in an interview with Coming Soon.
Rowland said, “ I think what appealed to me most was the fact that there are three women going through very different stages in their relationship goals in their lives. I think that it was so rich to see those women each get to figure out, Treese being able to figure out her dating life and where she needed to correct things because she didn’t like where they were going. Brenda, being able to figure out what the next step is in a long-term relationship, and then, of course, Kelly’s character didn’t have a desire for a relationship, and one kind of falls in her lap anyway. So I think we can all relate to each of those stages, and I think it was really nice to be able to see each of those stories fleshed out.”
Read More: Where Was Relationship Goals Filmed? All Shooting Locations
