Those in the dating world will likely super relate to Iliza Shlesinger’s dark comedy Good on Paper. If you’ve dated for a long time in a big city, it’s likely that someone somewhere along the way did not tell you the full truth about who they were, what they do, and their ultimate intentions. When Shlesinger met and survived dating a catfisher extraordinaire, she decided to take her own dating trauma and turn it into a Netflix film. The result is a painful examination of a past trauma that is also quite entertaining. Here are five takeaways from Good on Paper:

1. The reliable narrator 
   Shlesinger as Andrea cleverly gives the audience insight into her conscience while getting to know dishonest Dennis. In a voiceover, Andrea gives raw thoughts on the situation, making it clear that this is not a story about love at first sight, but Dennis was “charming, pompous, and humble.” Through stand-up, Andrea then reflects on the experience, able to joke that if you ask your grandma what she thought of your grandpa, “well, he just kept showing up.” As present-day Andrea living the nightmare, Shlesinger is both charming and abrasive herself. In a way, she subtly acknowledges that while dating Dennis was a nightmare, he perhaps made her face some of her own flaws. When you might die of the truth while uncovering someone else’s lies, your own imperfections are also put under a microscope. 
   
   
2. Always listen to Margaret Cho 
   It’s a delight to see Cho in a co-starring role as Andrea’s best friend, Margot. As a lesbian in touch with her feelings, Cho’s character instantly sees red flags in Dennis, but simultaneously feels her best friend often is her worst enemy when it comes to dating. Early on, Margot tells Andrea to be grateful for all the good things coming her way. But as Dennis’ story unravels, Margot also leads the detective mission to bring his lies to light, leading Andrea into “uncharted territory.” Margot admits that going after the man who has wronged her friend is kinda her kink; she even invents her own term for Dennis’ behavior: “cuttlefishing.”
   
   
3. When rivals make good 
   Shlesinger’s Andrea, while absolutely deserving of better than Dennis, also has some of her own demons. Her ultimate career rival, Serrena (played by the appropriately peppy Rebecca Rittenhouse), haunts her life. Serrena’s billboard seems to follow her. Serrena lands commercials more easily than Andrea, and Serrena’s fame is clearly larger than Andrea’s more niche stand-up appeal. As it turns out, these two rivals just misunderstand each other. While Andrea thinks she longs for Serrena’s mass appeal, Serrena longs for Andrea’s control of her life and voice in the industry. It turns out that when they cut each other some slack, the potential for true friendship is there. 
   
   
4. It feels good to be bad 
   Dennis is played by the incomparable Ryan Hansen, who proves with the role that he can float in and out of dramedy, creepiness, and comedy with the power of his prosthetic smile. Hansen was apparently longing to play a creep before landing the role. Shlesinger said she was worried he was too good-looking for the part, but Hansen convinced her he had a vision. That vision of Dennis proved right-on as Hansen can be equally as charming as he can be at telling a lie in the role; all the while his boyish charm seems to shine through the prosthetics, occasionally making one root for a lie to turn out to be true. We hope against hope that one couldn’t be so easily duped and that Dennis may have an ounce of goodness somewhere. Either way, both the scripting and Hansen’s performance make for a memorable antagonist.
   
   
5. Not a revenge movie 
   Shlesinger has made it clear that she did not want Good on Paper to be a revenge film and that she doesn’t mind if the real-life Dennis, who rocked her world, sees the film or not.
   
   "The point was not to make him feel bad. It was for me to create a vehicle for myself and do something steeped in honesty," she said.
   
   "So it's funny, there's actually no revenge fantasy. Andrea doesn't come out of this worse or better. She's back where she was because when you're on a path and you're steadfast in who you are, no one can shake that." 
   
   Final takeaway 
   Good on Paper is a ride of a film that grounds itself in strong female friendship while solving a relationship gone off the rails. Shlesinger’s voice is loud and clear throughout and will please fans of stand-up looking for an anti-romantic comedy to perhaps exorcise some of their own dating demons.