The Perfect Find, which began streaming on Netflix today, is tirelessly committed to Gabrielle Union getting eaten out, and I think that’s beautiful.
It’s not a perfect romantic comedy—I particularly was not here for that unexpected plot twist at the end—but the sex scenes are undeniably hot. (That’s something that can’t be said for many of the sexless, sanitized rom-coms you see these days!) But more than that, the sex in The Perfect Find is focused almost exclusively on pleasure of women. That’s more than hot; it’s downright feminist.
Directed by Numa Perrier, with a screenplay adapted by Leigh Davenport, The Perfect Find is based on Tia William’s 2016 book of the same name. Union stars 40-year-old woman named Jenna, who is determined to move on from her public break-up by throwing herself into a new career. But she gets distracted when she hooks up with a charming, twenty-something man named Eric (played by Keith Powers) at a party, only to discover he’s the son of her new, no-nonsense boss (played by Gina Torres). Not only that, but Jenna and Eric have been assigned to work together on a project. Uh-oh!
After some bickering and hurt feelings, Jenna and Eric agree to keep things professional. Their resolve doesn’t last long. At a wine-and-weed-fueled dinner party, Jenna and Eric are drawn to each other like magnets. Union and Powers flex their electric chemistry, with longing looks and lingering touches. Finally, when Eric turns to leave for the night—after staying to help Jenna do the dishes, of course—Jenna catches the back of his shirt to pull him in for a searing kiss. And this kiss is hot. It’s the kind of single-minded, all-consuming kiss that is clearly leading to more.
More is exactly what Jenna gets. Eric lifts Jenna up onto the kitchen counter (hot!), and then, without further ado, drops to his knees and gets his head under her vintage dress. The camera pans in on Union’s face as she closes her eyes and throws her head back in pleasure. No nudity is shown, but it could not be clearer what is going down there, just out of frame.
That’s not the only scene in The Perfect Find that features Gabrielle Union getting hers. Later on, after Jenna and Eric have a big blowout fight, the couple engages in the long-held relationship tradition of make-up sex. First, they kiss (again, hot!) and then the screen fades to black… only to have the screen fade back in on a very raunchy scene indeed. We see the back of a red velvet couch, with Jenna’s bare leg hitched up on the top, and Eric’s bare legs kneeling on the floor. And we hear some very suggestive moaning on Jenna’s end.
Again, no nudity is shown—the couch blocks most of the view—but director Numa Perrier is making it crystal clear to the audience what is going on. And what is going on is that Eric is going down on Jenna. He’s eating her out, giving her head, taking a trip down under, worshipping at the altar, and all of those other euphemisms we have for cunnilingus.
So often, heterosexual sex in movies and TV is all about male pleasure. It’s all about bouncing breasts, female nudity, penetration, and ejaculation. Almost never do you see sex scenes focused solely on a woman getting off. Yet The Perfect Find did it not once, but twice. The Perfect Find may not be perfect, but you have to tip your hat to that dedication to female pleasure. We love to see it.