by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
Dating gets complicated as you get older. Your friends have their own commitments in which you can’t always be included. The number of eligible and interesting partners is dwindling. Careers take priority as well, in competitive fields, and can make us jaded about connecting with others. Perhaps even your person is getting antsy about the next steps of your lives together if you aren’t properly committed. Questions abound, but there might be a solution for you if you open up and focus up. Relationship Goals tries to explore what that looks like for exes Leah (Kelly Rowland) and Jarrett (Cliff “Method Man” Smith).
Leah has been a television producer for the nightly news for years now. With her boss Dan (Matt Walsh) ready to retire he needs a replacement, but Leah has some competition: her ex, Jarrett. Dan decides to make them work together to see if they can lead and be teammates as well. On an assignment about singles during Valentine’s Day, they interview a preacher who gives relationship advice. Leah’s two friends Brenda (Robin Thede) and Treese (Annie Gonzalez) both take to the preacher’s advice and apply it to their own lives. The question is, will Leah and Jarrett be able to apply it to theirs?
What would have been helpful overall for the quality of this movie is if it could have figured out how to have its themes and plotlines go together. The movie tries to develop two central themes: finding purpose for yourself while looking for love and teamwork. Neither of these is flawed but they both hinge on Leah’s involvement. Leah and her girlfriends’ story falls squarely in the first camp while the romance between Leah and Jarrett tackles the second. Sure, there is some overlap in the messages about committing but I would have preferred one of these be the center of attention.
Personally, I would have gone with the girls supporting each other as the primary focus. Rowland, Thede, and Gonzalez have a very real chemistry. Like a true trio of friends who have years of memories and time together. The ribbings and other examples of real friendship on display are fun to watch, and those scenes feel the most authentic. Supporting each other as they work towards bettering themselves is an uplifting feeling. More time to allow them to encourage and hold each other accountable would have been great for this movie’s message of bettering ourselves as we look for love. There still could have been a romance for Leah to pursue, and Smith could still be in that role as well. Rowland and Smith have chops but their moments are not nearly as interesting.
Part of why I wish there was just one storyline is because there is not nearly enough time for scenes focusing on letting the characters try to better themselves or work together. The themes are so clear, but they are spoken more than shown. Showing them actually try and fail and succeed to become better people would be more interesting than them talking about it. The best any of the girls do is Brenda telling her long-term boyfriend that they need to move towards marriage and her moving out until he proves to her that he agrees. Treese makes a few passing jokes about getting off Tinder but that’s about it in the way of self-improvement. More time to focus on each of the three of them would have been beneficial. Even if they had gone with the story focusing on Leah and Jarrett getting past their differences. Their relationship-focusing scenes mostly revolve around them figuring out how to work together except for one date night scene.
From a movie-making perspective, there is nothing to write home about it. Cinematography? Unremarkable. The score? Don’t remember it. Scene design and editing? Not important. Amazon branded product placement? Present. Only small thing I remember was there was a small use of Doechii’s Denial is a River, but it is cut to hell, and its usage makes no sense.
Overall, Relationship Goals has potential but feels unfocused. If you are a big fan of Rowland and Smith then you might have a good time. Otherwise, it’s good that this went straight to streaming.
Rating: Didn’t Like It
Relationship Goals is currently Streaming on Amazon Prime
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