Maintenance Required: A Simple Charming Romcom

Now on Prime Video, Maintenance Required is a new romcom starring Madelaine Petsch and Jacob Scipio. The story is centered around Charlie (Petsch), the fiercely independent owner of an all female mechanic shop, who is forced to reevaluate her future when a flashy corporate competitor moves in across the street. Seeking comfort, she turns to an anonymous online confidant -unaware she’s confiding in Beau (Scipio), the very rival threating her business. A pleasant surprise, the film is a lovely little romcom that is sure to please fans of the genre and while slapping a great big smile on audiences’ faces in the process.

Petsch and Scopio prove to be a great pairing, working well individually, but even better together. Their great chemistry perfectly sells their enemies to lovers arc, as audiences are left with baited breath over the tried and true will they or won’t they arc that has become a romcom staple. On the performance side, while Scipio is solid as Beau, getting to show off a different side of himself, Petsch, in particular, delivers a great performance as Charlie, a strong role worthy of her talents. On the other hand, its stellar supporting cast, featuring the likes of Bailey, Katy O’Brian, and Jim Gaffigan also deliver. O’Brian is truly the standout of the three and a real scene stealer as Kam, making any of their projects better by her appearance alone.

Feeling like a throwback to the classic romcoms of the 1990’s or 2000’s, the film wears its influences proudly on its sleeve while maintaining its own identity. It is funny, charming, and has a great big heart that is on full display from start to finish. Not only shot well, the film also moves at a decent pace, and features a great soundtrack. Though fun to watch, it certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel in terms of the genre, not that it needed to or was expected to. From the opening, it is clear where the story is heading. Predictable, it offers little in the way of surprises over the course of Charlie and Beau’s respective journeys together. Similarly, the film also suffers from some occasional bouts of cheesy dialog that no real life human would ever utter out loud, and there are plenty of cliches that can be found. Regarding the aforementioned supporting cast, in spite of appearing prominently throughout the film, they are also not given a lot to do, and their impact on the film as a whole is minimal at best.

In the end, for those who aren’t big fans of romcoms, Maintenance Required might not move the needle all that much but for fans of the genre or either of its two leads, it makes for another delightful addition to the pantheon, thanks to the dynamic between Madelaine Petsch and Jacob Scipio, and a great supporting cast. Continuing the fine run of Prime Video romcoms as of late, its throwback vibe (1998’s ‘You’ve Got Mail’ being a strong influence) helps it stand out that much more, making it a perfect watch to cozy up to.

still courtesy of Prime Video

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/