[PREVIEW] Double-Feature: 'Fire Island' and 'A Perfect Pairing'

This week we come to you with two summer romance offerings: a must-watch movie and a we-watched-it-so-you-don’t-have-to movie.

Hulu’s “Fire Island,” written by and starring Joel Kim Booster, is a groundbreaking, thoughtful, funny, and tender modernization of “Pride and Prejudice” set in Fire Island Pines, a legendary gay resort town. Centering on the friendship between two gay Asian-American men, Noah (Booster) and Howie (Bowen Yang) and the romances that they each fall into during their week in paradise, the movie also skewers the social hierarchies, racism, and classism of the gay party scene with Austenian flair.

Netflix’s “A Perfect Pairing,” starring “Sex/Life” bad boy and Claire’s least favorite male sex symbol Adam Demos, is also a film with romantic themes and a kiss at the end. Set on an Australian sheep station owned and operated by a female billionaire, the movie follows a plucky young wine agent’s quest to land the billionaire’s new winery as a client — falling in love with the station’s stoic, abs-having boss cocky in the process. It’s a movie about girlbosses, girlbosses supporting girlbosses, rocking the perfect fuschia lip while spreading hundreds of pounds of sheep manure, and chiseled men with Secrets.

“A Perfect Pairing” might technically pass the Bechdel test — because two women talk about wine acquisitions and getting promotions — but we assure you, Alison Bechdel would tell you to watch “Fire Island,” and so do we.

In this episode, we swish “A Perfect Pairing” around in our mouth and tease out the subtle flavors of Hallmark tropes, flat chemistry, farfetched plot devices, and notes of colonialism. We then dive into the limpid waters of “Fire Island,” getting a little nitpicky (in a fun way?!) about whether it follows the beats of Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” a bit too closely, close-reading the two romances that unfold, and discussing the movie’s unsparing critique of the bigotry and exclusion that can be found in the gay social scene.

A couple reviews referenced in the pod, for further reading:

“Fire Island Is a Curiously Reluctant Romantic Comedy” — Alison Willmore, Vulture

“The Bittersweet Silliness of Hulu’s ‘Fire Island’” — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic

If you enjoy this episode, consider pairing it (as it were) with our June project over at Love to See It: Summer Lovin’, a miniseries of recaps/discussions of classic summer romances. This week we absolutely geeked out over “Dirty Dancing” with Alison Greenberg, and next week we’ll be discussing “Grease” with THE Ali Barthwell.

But this — this is our special reserve: peach and mineral. (IYKYK.) Hope you enjoy! xo

We’ve been watching…

Season 2 of “Girls5eva,” the totally daffy, “30 Rock”-lite Peacock show about a one-hit-wonder aughts girl group who decide to stage a comeback 20 years after their one hit. This season, the group — composed of earnest songwriter Dawn (Sara Bareilles), diva Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry), Christian bimbette Summer (Busy Philipps), and group-tomboy-turned-lesbian-dentist Gloria (Paula Pell) — goes into Album Mode, navigating a music industry that looks fairly different from what they encountered around the turn of the millennium. It’s extremely light but, in the “30 Rock” tradition, can be counted on to go for as many jokes as possible in the space of a scene. -Claire

Season 2 of “Hacks,” which just wrapped its second season. 8 episodes is too few episodes of this HBO Max gem. I continue to be obsessed with Jean Smart and Hannah Einbender’s crackling comedian chemistry. -Emma

We’ve been reading…

“The Idiot,” still (who has time to finish a book these days? Send tips). -Claire

Somehow still reading “Book Lovers,” because I too seem to have lost all ability to pay attention to one thing for more than 20 minutes at a time. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

Endlessly catching up on all my faves, of course — Normal Gossip is mid-season 2 (a gift) — but I have also recently dipped back into Poog, Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak’s wellness podcast, which sets the mood for me as effectively as music. It’s a red lipstick, a silk robe, a stack of obscure books piled next to a velvet armchair, a romance that I can only associate with lazy summer days. The latest episode features both a rambling conversation about the disappointments of boutique hotels and a critique of the tone of voice one falls into when listing consumer complaints. -Claire

We’ve been buying…

A stretchy crinkle bikini from the English company YouSwim! This summer I realized I just couldn’t bear the idea of a constricting bathing suit — I just wanted something basic, flattering, and able to absorb some size fluctuations. I got the Poise High Waist Two-Piece in Ink, and it is the platonic ideal of a bikini, in my opinion. I have also been ogling these made-to-order crinkle suits from Canadian brand Loope; the color-blocking options are perfection. -Claire

The Skims Fits Everybody Bandeau in both black and neon pink. I was in need of a summertime non-underwire bra to wear under nap dresses and other loose sundresses. These feel good quality, keep the girls in, and don’t break the bank. -Emma