Fittingly, the Groundhog Day formula has been used numerous times, especially in contemporary romantic comedies. In recent years, this tried-and-true method has been widely popular thanks to films like the Happy Death Day series, Palm Springs, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, and About Time. However, Hollywood also has the luxury of attempting something new if it doesn’t succeed the first time around. So, it’s time to revisit the subgenre with Peacock’s Meet Cute, a time-travelling sci-fi rom-com where Kaley Cuoco has several chances to make her meet-cute with Pete Davidson just right… or wrong.
And as the preview shows, there’s a good reason why Hollywood studios keep returning to tried-and-true plot devices. This preview shows Sheila (Cuoco) and Gary (Davidson) meeting at a bar one night and immediately clicking. In fact, it seems as though they already know each other deep inside, even if they’ve never met. It seems fate may not be the only explanation after all. Later, Sheila will explain that the lady is eventually pushing the odds in her favour, which allows for their seeming ease in connecting. She can control the course of her evening with this eligible bachelor by using her magical tanning bed to travel back in time and change the past. “Sheila admits, “I fell in love with you by mistake, and I don’t know how it happened. And I am determined to succeed this time.” Gary is naturally still somewhat sceptical, though.
Gary and Sheila nevertheless spend the evening(s) together, which sparks natural (and, well, unnatural) chemistry and, yes, builds a blossoming relationship, over time. What do you think the future holds? As always, though, only the future holds the answer. Characters in this streaming comedy will, like those in Palm Springs, seem to be aware of the details and absurdities of time travel, which will allow them to poke fun at their own illogical reasoning and the unexplained mechanizations of time looping. When your future self is wandering about in your history, for instance, what are you supposed to do with your current self? This trailer gives the impression that the situation will quickly escalate into violence.
The natural, elegant appeal of Cuoco and Davidson, combined with the knowing meta-ness of the material, should be enough to make this comedy work. Both performers have proven their ability to convincingly portray regular people in outlandish situations, and Davidson, in particular, should bring his relaxed, present, everyman charm to this role. More specifically, if he can successfully feed off Cuoco’s jovial rambunctiousness. Unfortunately, there’s only one way to know for sure. Peacock is set to release Meet Cute on September 21.