Meet-Cute

Directed by Nadine O’Mahony

2026

The tricky world of power balances, unspoken signals and communication exchanges are the themes of new local comedy short Meet-Cute from Nadine O’Mahony.

We jump straight into its 5-minute runtime by joining a couple of people mid-date at a bar. Here we see Mark (Jake Bhardwaj) and Mia (Poppy Abbott) who share their thoughts about what they’re looking for in a partner. Mark starts by selling himself as a “6-foot” small-town success story, whilst Mia explains how she doesn’t “follow the rules” and judges people on their music taste.

From the outset, the jokes in Meet-Cute come thick and fast using everything from comedic musical and sound cues, witty wordplay punchlines and plenty of humorous visual cutaways. And as the two go on to share their likes and dislikes, we get an insight into their preferences by way of their past.

The well-written script is tight and delves into both broad personality types as well as specific penchants like trying to avoid the ever-frustrating world of identical online dating profiles. And the director Nadine O’Mahony handles all these elements with finesse, with the whole short coming together with some noticeable cinematic nods too.

There’s a bit of Edgar Wright with the cutaways and a dash of Wes Anderson-style shot composition for inserts. You’ll know it when you see it. (Funnily enough they were so spot-on I noted both filmmakers even before reading their mentions in the film’s press pack). And it may be just me, but an awkward date, a woman called Mia and a milkshake at the table sure sounds an awful lot like a particular Tarantino moment.

The extreme close-ups used throughout give us a glimpse into the characters’ real thoughts, but also allow the two actors to showcase their superb comedy chops. Jake Bhardwaj is excellent with his over-confident bluster, whilst Poppy Abbott’s dating cynic is an equally fantastic performance. Also wonderful is the precise editing, which highlights the different joke styles. No time is wasted in its brief 5 minutes, with the gags coming endlessly from the beginning. It gets in. It gets out. No messing.

Only one joke misses. And it’s simply because it involves written text, which for me didn’t stay on screen long enough to read. After pausing on my copy though, it’s a great list of saucy gags that more than deserve a bit more attention. A minor flaw, yet an easy fix.

As we go on, a last minute reveal wasn’t totally unexpected but highlights the sometimes unknowing missed opportunities and “what ifs” of relationships simply owing to timing. Amongst the jokes, there’s a message underlying all of this somewhere about finding the “perfect” person (or moment) in our lives, which added a nice touch of relatable honesty about dating dynamics.

However, its focus is really on being a joke-a-thon, and I can see this being a big feel-good hit of the festival circuit as a nice alternative to the serious dramas and horrors out there.

The direction is brilliant and the humour comes organically around the shape of how two people (mis)connect. And it also builds nicely upon the filmmaker's previous celebrated work in Rushed and Dosed. So, swipe right and set yourself up with a date to watch Meet-Cute as soon as you can. It’s a joke-filled comedy full of laugh-out-loud moments and one that splendidly pokes good-natured fun at the dating game.

★★★★★

5 / 5

Michael Sales

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