Being loved and loving someone are some of the greatest feelings in the world. There are numerous dating sites that can aid the population in finding amour, but, let’s be honest, they can only do so much. So, Alex (Sarah Randall Hunt), Reed (Wayne T. Carr), Stevie (J.J. Hawkins), and Harper (Joanna Sotomura) decide to develop an app, Stupid Cupid, to solve the world’s issues of never being sure where romance lies. During the app’s development, the entrepreneurs must do their best to keep the potential company afloat while all Alex and her friends experiment with love and all that it entails. Stupid Cupid is their story.
Broken up into seven short episodes, the web series aims to keep viewers focused on the story without being overwhelmed by the content. The writers, Hunt, and director Yaroslav Altunin, were successful in this endeavor, as the short, to-the-point episodes kept me engaged throughout. The quick transitions through the changing dynamics of the show keep things feeling fresh.
However, it also brings up a few issues. The concept of time appears to be lost to some degree. For example, the color and style of Stevie’s hair are constantly changing at a rate that doesn’t seem to keep pace with the rest of the series. This aspect of Stupid Cupid threw me off and left me struggling to understand the timeframe of Alex’s journey. Plus, many of the story beats are incredibly corny, and they, too, take a bit away from the overall investment I had.
“…decide to develop an app…to solve the world’s issues of never being sure where romance lies.“
However, through each of the odd moments, the four leads shine incredibly bright. The cast allows viewers to appreciate nearly all that is being offered. The shining star of this unique series is Hawkins. He doesn’t do anything necessarily special, but he possesses a certain quality that allows him to be nothing short of perfect through each of his scenes. That quality? His simplistic, understated approach. Hawkins is so brilliant, however, that I genuinely felt his emotion. There were even moments that I questioned some of the things occurring throughout Stupid Cupid, as he made them feel less like fiction and more like reality.
Regardless of the actor, viewers often know they are acting and have little issue separating the actor from the character on screen. Even still, the ensemble cast works well together and brings to life a story that manages to mirror the real world in a number of ways. Everyone works well enough to be believable and deliver when it counts.
Stupid Cupid touches on the idea of failure, the struggles of teamwork, chasing a dream, and overcoming our greatest fears. There is a lot that goes into such a story, but the series never feels overcrowded. It is simply relatable and entertaining. Sure, the overall concept may be a bit silly, but I can say, with complete confidence, that the series plays out beautifully, and viewers are truly in for a treat.
"…relatable and entertaining."
