The Half of It was written and directed by Alice Wu. It stars Leah Lewis, Alexxis Lemire, and Daniel Diemer. The film was released on May 1, 2020, on Netflix. The movie won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. It was also nominated for the 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film.
Introverted Ellie Chu is known for her writing skills and side-job, where she writes essays and does other peoples’ homework for money. When a jock offers Ellie money to write a love letter, she turns down the offer—that is, until she finds herself in need of some fast cash or her electricity will be shut off. At first, she didn’t expect to become friends with him—or to fall for his crush.
This movie is an LGBTQ+ rom-com that is definitely worth watching. The movie did a good job at representing some of the problems people of color and people of the LGBTQ+ community face, and a lot of movies don’t have that representation. This film has a powerful message that everyone should listen to: Be true to yourself.
“The Half of It” soundtrack consists of 21 different songs—all of them being original. They’re all composed by Anton Sanko. The soundtrack is even on Spotify if you want to check it out.
The acting is exceptional. Leah, Daniel, and Alexxis do a great job at portraying teen life at a small-town school in America. The director, Alice Wu, has a great way of directing authenticity and uniqueness in her actors in this film.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who is struggling to find their identity or just needs a laugh.
