The actress Miranda Cosgrove made her film debut in “School of Rock” in 2003 and went on to play a younger sister in the Nickelodeon show “Drake and Josh” and a best friend in “iCarly.” Now in her early 30s, she’s still credible playing undergrad age in “The Wrong Paris,” where she is also an executive producer.
In this romantic comedy directed by Janeen Damian, Cosgrove portrays Dawn, a Texas girl who’s eager for new experiences; as such, she’s applied to an art school in Paris, which has accepted her. But she can’t afford the tuition, so in the hopes of earning big bucks, she signs up for a reality show called “The Honey Pot,” where she competes with a gaggle of mostly venal hotties for the affections of an honest-to-goodness cowboy, Trey McAllen (Pierson Fodé). The competition is in Paris, Texas, hence the title; part of its reward is a trip to France. Dawn balks at the contrivances of the contest even as she comes to see something appealing in her would-be victory.
You can probably guess that Trey and Dawn fall for each other — and then fall out — before love more or less conquers all. While the movie’s production design has considerable mojo — the trappings of a “Bachelor”-style reality show are sharply drawn, and the swimming hole on Trey’s ranch is practically Edenic — the anodyne writing reins in whatever satire one might have expected. The match is the thing, ultimately.
The Wrong Paris
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
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