Saagar Kote
Directed by Janeen Damian, Netflix’s romantic drama film ‘The Wrong Paris’ narrates the tale of Dawn Blanton, an ambitious Texas girl who dreams of pursuing a career in art by going to an art school in Paris. She lives with her grandmother and two sisters in an idyllic, but middle-class home. Despite getting accepted into her desired school, she faces financial troubles, which restrict her from flying to France. When her sister asks her to sign up for a reality-dating show called “The Honey Pot” to make money, she reluctantly agrees, seeing this as an opportunity to pursue her goals because it is happening in Paris. In a hilarious twist, the dating show happens in Paris, Texas instead. The protagonist finds herself in a dilemma when she starts to develop feelings for the handsome cowboy named Trey McAllen III, whom she meets on the show. The film explores themes of love, modern values, and ambition poignantly.
The Wrong Paris Depicts the Complexities of Reality Dating Shows
Despite being a fictional tale, ‘The Wrong Paris’ explores the nature of reality-dating shows poignantly. Written by Nicole Henrich, it deals with the ways in which people are motivated to sign up for love-based reality shows where they have to face the camera, while also trying to find romance. In the narrative, the show “The Honey Pot” becomes the main setting where a chunk of the action takes place. It is a show that features a handsome man who has to choose from a pool of women, who try to win his heart, but the catch is that the woman he ultimately proposes to can either take a quarter of a million dollars or choose to stay with him.
Talking to the Hollywood Reporter, Miranda Cosgrove, who plays Dawn Blanton, said that shooting the movie was a joyful experience. When asked about its exaggerated take on reality-dating shows, she stated, “It was definitely really fun because we would film on the scene like how we would normally film a movie, and then we would film [what] we’d call the Honey Pot cam because the reality show, The Honey Pot, in the movie. It’s kind of fun because they got to do crazy, silly things where they zoom in on a person’s facial expression, or they just got to do a lot of fun stuff they wouldn’t have normally been able to do if it were just filmed the normal standard way.” Her perspective offers some insight into the way the film wanted to showcase reality-dating shows, especially the element of zooming in on the faces of the contestants.
Though the movie does not explicitly mention any real TV shows, Miranda’s perspectives hint at shows like ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘Love Island USA,’ which also heavily feature close-ups to depict the feelings of the contestants. The film manages to authentically portray the way love-based reality shows are shot, and also comments on how meaningless or meaningful they can be, which depends on the contestants involved. According to an interview report from Boston University, Sociologist Deborah Carr spoke about why people take an interest in reality dating shows. She said, “People are fascinated by love and the pursuit of love—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Even Freud recognized that love, and work, are the foundation of life. Most people also want to see a happy ending, especially when the world feels so bleak.”
The Sociologist added, “The shows absolutely reinforce (perhaps outdated) cultural norms about physical attractiveness and desirability. To a one, the women are slender and toned, with perfectly coiffed hair.” The film features a rather friendly take on reality dating shows, but it is also important to know that there are negative aspects of such shows, which often go unnoticed by the media. The film uses the elements of real-life shows to explore important arcs in the story, which adds to its grounded feel.
The Perspectives of the Actors Add to the Narrative’s Realism
In order to portray their roles effectively, the actors had to challenge themselves in various ways, which also included how they approached their characters. Speaking to Decider, Madison Pettis, who plays Lexi in the film, opined, “It’s always fun to play something that’s not like you. I’ve played a mean girl a couple times now. I don’t know why they keep picking me to play these mean-girl roles. I’m such a nice person! But yeah, it was really fun. Even though she is sort of the mean girl, villain role, I tried to make her still a little bit likable because I think to be a contestant on this dating show and be someone that Trey would actually consider picking, she couldn’t just be a full bitch.”
The actress approached her character with nuance as she did not want her to feel one-dimensional or soulless. Pettis also stated, “I watch more scripted stuff than reality. But I watched The Bachelor growing up. My friends did The Bachelor watch nights and I keep up with the Love Island stuff. I know [about] “mamacita” and all of those things. I watched some to get ready for this movie.” The efforts undertaken by Madison add a layer of realism to her performance, which also connects the overall narrative to reality.
In an interview with Digital Trends, Miranda Cosgrove expressed, “Well, I would say getting to horseback ride was one of the most fun things about making the movie. We went out there, and we rehearsed for the first couple of weeks. We got to go horseback riding a lot, and that was so much fun. I love horses. I love animals so much. Some of those scenes when we actually filmed them — they’re the kind of scenes where our characters are really connecting.” The genuine challenges faced by the leading actress provide a sense of authenticity to her performance, which also contributes to the realistic flavor of the movie.
Read More: Is Planet Single Greek Adventure Based on a True Story?
