Simone Ashley’s new rom-com, Picture This, is Prime Video’s most recent take on the lovable genre. Ashley leads Picture This‘s cast as Pia, a woman in her late 20s feeling the pressure to find a relationship as she helps prepare for her younger sister’s wedding. Outside her family’s insistence that she begins dating, Pia’s life primarily focuses on her photography studio, which is struggling far more than she would like to admit. As the funny, heartwarming movie progresses, Pia is challenged to put herself out there in new ways, leading to Picture This‘s happy ending.
The movie as a whole is very casual fun that is sure to uplift audiences, buoyed by Simone Ashley’s charm and comedic abilities. Picture This is worth a watch thanks to Ashley’s performance and the failed dates set up very entertaining comedic moments for several of the characters. While the movie does feel like a solid mix of reliable rom-com tropes and uniquely modern updates to the genre, Picture This has some pretty clear inspiration that might be surprising to audiences.
The Movies’ Plots Are Very Similar
Rather than taking inspiration from a true story, Picture This actually serves as a remake of Prime Video’s 2024 Australian rom-com Five Blind Dates. Unsurprisingly, the movies’ premises are very similar. Five Blind Dates follows Lia, a young woman who owns a tea shop in Sydney that she struggles to afford. Like Picture This, Lia is called back to her hometown for her sister’s wedding and a fortune-teller states that she must go on five dates to find her true love. Lia’s family sets her up on dates that largely follow the same pattern as Pia’s, with little success.
While Five Blind Dates and Picture This mostly exhibit the same beats, there are some noticeable differences too. The biggest one is the relationship between Lia and Richard vs. Pia and Charlie, since Lia and Richard were close friends but never dated like Pia and Charlie previously had. This difference changes the romance of the movie from discovering one’s true feelings for a former friend to understanding unresolved feelings for an ex. The movies also feature smaller differences, like the main characters’ jobs.
How Picture This Embraces Classic Rom-Coms With A Fresh Twist
Picture This Benefits From The Tried & True Rom-Com Tropes
In addition to being directly based on another film, Picture This is reminiscent of many great classic rom-coms that perfectly encapsulate what makes the genre work. Picture This is able to play off many of the best rom-com tropes, but it feels updated for a modern audience. The messy dynamic between the love interests and the great friendships are really strong in Picture This. In particular, Pia’s interactions with Jay are consistently funny thanks to Simone Ashley and Luke Fetherston’s great delivery and chemistry.
Picture This is right at home with modern rom-coms like Anyone But You and with genre classics like Bridget Jones’s Diary where the main character is certainly not perfect but still lovable.
Likewise, the main character being set up on bad dates and having complicated feelings for her ex are commonly used tropes, but Picture This feels refreshed thanks to Pia’s independent personality. Picture This is right at home with modern rom-coms like Anyone But You and with genre classics like Bridget Jones’s Diary where the main character is certainly not perfect but still lovable. While it can be hard to make an impression in the romantic comedy genre since its popularity has waned in recent years, Picture This combines all the best parts in a novel way.
Picture This
6/10
- Release Date
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March 6, 2025
- Runtime
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100 minutes
- Director
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Prarthana Mohan
- Writers
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Nikita Lalwani