Starstruck review – a new kind of rom-com
Female comedians are setting the gold standard when it comes to series writing. Aisling Bea’s This Way Up was a standout of 2019, and Mae Martin’s Feel Good followed on last year. Now, Kiwi comedian Rose Matafeo has stepped up with Starstruck, and she doesn’t disappoint.
Written by Matafeo, who also stars, BBC Three’s Starstruck follows the typical boy meets girl rom-com trope, with a crucial twist. The ‘boy’ in question, Tom (Nikesh Patel) is a famous actor, unbeknown to the ‘girl’, Jessie (Matafeo). With Google and Instagram a mere click away, the likelihood of Jessie not recognising Tom feels a little unbelievable. Still, her, oblivion only lasts eight minutes and 15 seconds into the first episode, and it’s funny enough to forgive.
The unlikely duo meet on New Year’s Eve in the men’s bathroom of a nightclub before ending up, many drinks later, back at Tom’s apartment. Jessie’s foggy head is quickly cleared the following day by the sudden revelation that she has slept with a celebrity. A modern courtship blossoms from numerous chance encounters but, even for celebrities, the course of true love never did run smooth. When Tom first visits Jessie’s flat, her housemate, Kate, excitably demands to know the “vibe” and if she should prepare glasses of whisky or bowls of ice cream, scaring Tom off. Then, Jessie’s co-worker Joe (who also has feelings for her) tries his hand as a saboteur when he lies to Tom at a dinner party, telling him that Jessie had gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend, Dan.
Unexpectedly joining the efforts to inadvertently detract from the couple’s relationship is Kath, played by Minnie Driver, Tom’s unyielding agent. Alongside securing Tom’s roles (she fails to contain her excitement at the prospect of him becoming Rachel McAdams’ love interest as an unlucky-in-love optometrist), she warns him against falling in love with “civilians” and the consumption of carbohydrates. After their working lunch in a restaurant, her parting words to Tom are expressed with deep emotional concern, “if you think about eating bread, call me, and I’ll talk you down”. There is something amusing about an actor being cast as a high-maintenance agent.
Matafeo’s writing is consistently funny throughout the series. The second episode begins with a musical sequence as Jessie leaves a houseboat after a one-night-stand. She dances down the riverside to Mark Morrison’s Return of the Mac, high-fiving runners and cafe-goers. It’s a glorious rebellion against the typical “walk of shame” narrative.
But Starstruck has its raw moments too. As her personal and work life both slip away from her, Jessie confides in Joe about her insecurities and homesickness. Matafeo takes the time to portray being a young-single-woman in London as lonely at times, especially when your family is thousands of miles away. She is careful not to over-romanticise the idea of living in the capital, as many rom-coms do. The authenticity of Jessie and her candidly chaotic love life brings about parallels with Phoebe Waller-Bridges Fleabag.
The series has been dubbed a millennial love story by critics. “Millennial” may be cutting it fine as Jessie, and her friends are fast approaching 30, but “love story” is undoubtedly apt. It’s a contemporary nod to Bridget Jones and Notting Hill, if Mark Darcy swapped his white barrister wigs for red carpet attire, or if Anna Scott had a Kiwi accent. Sweet, honest and witty, Matafeo is the real star of the show.
Starstruck airs on BBC on Mondays at 10:45pm, and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.