"Picture This" Is Proof That Simone Ashley Needs To Be In More Rom-Coms ASAP

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07-03-2025

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Picture This.
This is our official plea to the studios to cast Simone Ashley in more romantic comedy movies. Or really...anything.
But if you've been yearning for another glimpse of her in your 55th rewatch of Bridgerton, pause the show and catch her in new rom-com, Picture This, alongside Hero Fiennes Tiffin — who you might recognise from the After franchise.
The film follows a photographer Pia (played by Simone) in the midst of fixing her failing small business. At the same time, she needs to play maid-of-honour for her younger sister's wedding, alongside her ex (!!!!) Charlie (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) — who coincidentally, is the best man. To add to her struggles, her family desperately wants her to get married, so on the prediction of a pre-nuptial fortune teller, they each set her up with a date.
The movie may be a remake of Australian film, Five Blind Dates but Ashley and Tiffin breathe new tension, banter and British accents into a familiar story. But that begs the question: is it worth watching?
To help you decide, I've requested reviews from 👀✨THE WATCHERS✨👀 AKA a team of movie viewers, each with different tastes in genre, style and comedy. Now, the council has given their verdicts!
On today's rotation we have:
⭐️ Mark Mariano: The Cheesy Rom-Com Expert
⭐️ Bernice Corral: Just Here For The Vibes, But I'm A Film Major
⭐️ Kailah Haddad: Give Me A Pash Or A Slash — I'm Sat
⭐️ Hameda Nafiz: A Plot Hole's Worst Nightmare
Here's what they each had to say about Picture This:
I haven't watched Five Blind Dates, the original (and Aussie!!!) rom-com this film was based on, but I knew Picture This was going to be a fun watch from the get-go. The opening sequence gave Bend It Like Beckham in the best way possible, and it was like a big, warm hug.
Simone is a romantic lead you can't help but love. I saw her incredible onscreen versatility in Bridgerton and Sex Education, but we have her front and centre in Picture This, and I refuse to have it any other way.
As an almost-30-year-old child, I saw a lot of myself in Pia (even more than the literal gay BFF) — particularly in the never-ending comments and pressure from society to be/do something grand. But while I'm normally anti-meddling, I kinda sorta want my friends to step in and bring me a hunk.
Let's bring back blind dates, even the awkward ones! My favourite from the film was Akshay — I love a sexy nerd! Just sans the 🚨 spoilers 🚨 mum-crush.
Despite the inevitable and eventual connection between Pia and Charlie, my hot take? Romantic love is great, but not a requirement for happiness. Pia's life (and apartment!) in the beginning, while unconventional and with its own challenges, is still pretty fab.
I do love, though, that Charlie knew different versions of Pia, and I pray for a love that loves me as I am (thank you Colin Firth), as I was and in what I become.
My only critique, if any: Simone's natural grace leaves Pia's 'clumsy' physicality a little out of place. Otherwise, I can't get enough.
BRB, adding Five Blind Dates to my Watch List.
— Mark Mariano
Before I get into it, let it be known that I would kiss the ground Simone Ashley walks on. Now look, I love a not-so-great-but-enjoyable-and-definitely-a-hate-watch-rom-com as much as the next person (see: The Idea of You, He's All That, The Kissing Booth) but, unfortunately this film missed for me. It leant more towards being not so great NOR enjoyable, BUT definitely was a hate-watch!
I'll admit, I knew what I was getting myself into, and should've known better that this wasn't going to be the masterpiece I wanted it to be. BUT it was a reminder that sometimes films are just meant to be consumed, and not move you, or make you go 'I'll watch that again!'.
While it was unfortunate as a whole, it was so exciting seeing a brown woman as the protagonist that's not painted in a negative-light or stereotyped, something the rom-com genre and industry in general could use a bit more of, TBH.
Normally I don't mind a bad hate-watch, but I really couldn't get past the pacing and cringe-worthy dialogue.
Also, there's no plot development until the third act? I saw I had TWENTY MINUTES LEFT and was like, 'The lead who got away — and who's name I've forgotten — that we all know is going to sweep her off her feet, hasn't even HINTED that he wants to get back together???". In saying that, about halfway through, I did stop to think that I was being a little too harsh…
I specifically pondered on the amount of diabolical rom-coms that are lead by white actors (see again: the above listed) and how they're not as harshly criticised. So I decided to get over it!
I GUESS ON A POSITIVE NOTE, what I did love the most with Picture This was the amount of cultural representation. It just felt SO refreshing to see it in a movie, let alone a rom-com. Very akin to Bend It Like Beckham, something I do love to see.
And as much as this isn't the Oscar-worthy performance I was hoping for, I will be continuing to vouch for Simone Ashley in support of seeing her act alongside Dev Patel in a (hopefully good) rom-com one day (they have both said they'd love to work with each other — I'm not just saying this out of thin air — though I wouldn't put it past me!).
I think we ALL know how compelling Simone can be on screen (see: Bridgerton), and we'll chalk it up to an imperfect script. Her comedic moments were great and she's a loveable hot mess in the best way possible.
Will I watch it again? Honestly, probably not, but also maybe just to show my friends for laughs. But will I keep thinking about the scene (SPOILER!!) where Simone Ashley finds out her second date is a FLAT EARTHER (my personal biggest fear) and makes a run for it? Yes, yes I will.
— Bernice Corral
Picture This had me at Simone Ashley. The Bridgerton queen swapping corsets for modern-day dating drama? Yes, please.
If you're a sucker for cheesy rom-coms (like me), this is the perfect pick for a cosy night in. It won't reinvent the wheel, but it gives you all those feel-good vibes we crave. We've all been in Pia's shoes with those "What am I doing with my life?" moments, so it's super relatable.
The romance with Charlie (Fiennes Tiffin) is sweet, no doubt, but the movie is more focused on Pia's personal journey. And I'm all about that — personal growth is key — but I did wish the movie gave us a little more of the sisterly bond between Pia and Sonal. It felt like a missed opportunity to dig deeper into that relationship.
Ross Ferguson
Now, let's talk about Tiffin for a sec, because seeing him in this role was a shock to my system. I'm so used to him as the brooding, toxic guy in the After franchise (IYKYK), so seeing him as the more lighthearted, playful Charlie? Definitely a different vibe. Don't get me wrong, it was a refreshing change, but maybe I'm lowkey into the toxic drama? Like, give me more of that unhinged chaos.
Overall, Picture This is a solid rom-com for unwinding. It might not be a classic, but it's a fun ride. And Simone Ashley? She's the rom-com star we didn't know we needed.
Picture This triggered me left and right. But not because of anything negative that the film did — other than brilliantly portray the incredibly relatable struggle that first-gen immigrant women face. At first, I settled in, appreciating the brilliant Simone Ashley as Pia, and expecting a pretty standard rom-com that I could mildly relate to. But as soon as that lock-box came out, I knew I was in trouble.
If you're unfamiliar, some banks have lock-boxes (sort of like mini safes) and people store all sorts of things in theirs. For my mother, just like Pia's, it's jewellery — namely gold. And I still vividly remember the first time I was told that I'd receive it when I got married. At the time, the heaviness of that statement didn't quite land with me, but as I grew up, and discovered that my goal in life was not, in fact, to be a wife, I feel differently.
So when Pia boldly claimed she wanted no part in it, or the gold, I felt her passion deep within my soul (I'm sure I've told my parents some version of it time and time again throughout my life).
From that moment, I was hooked, watching her navigate the complexities her world — complexities either I, or the women in my life, have faced. But the part that resonated with me most, aside from Pia's disengagement with marriage, was her seemingly strange commitment to not offering passport photos at her portrait studio.
At the surface, it seems a little stubborn or reckless, avidly avoiding a service that might save your business. But as someone who broke through the barriers of the life imagined for me by my parents, grandparents, and so on, I understood it from the very first moment.
Something that might seem trivial to others, feels like failure for those who have fought tooth and nail for a mere chance to live a life they actually want. Giving in to anything less, regardless of whether the resilience might lead to total annihilation, is not an option.
Pia's determination to her cause was yet another facet of her identity that I truly resonated with.
The film is packed with countless relatable moments I've never found in any other form of media — from crashing out at a family event, to Pia's snide remark about enjoying yoga with a side of "cultural appropriation" when the bridal party attends a session led by a white man (who's favourite film is Eat, Pray, Love — IYKYK). Sure, the dialogue and plot can feel a little cheesy sometimes, but isn't that what rom-coms are all about?
Prime Video
Overall, I deeply adored this film, and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to watch a feel-good ~romedy~, with a South-Asian female lead who is actually likeable (I might be side-eyeing a certain female comedian with that statement, but I stand by it).
— Hameda Nafiz
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