Prime's New Romcom by Former YouTube Star Just Beat Netflix with a 96% Tomatometer

Summary

• Rudy Mancuso first rose to fame on Vine and then YouTube.
• Now he's trying his hand as a major filmmaker and released his debut feature-length project.
• The new film has received critical acclaim and is available on Prime.

Internet personalities have become a fascinating phenomenon. Despite their huge fan bases and multimillion-dollar earnings, not everyone, even those who regularly use social platforms, has heard of this or that influencer. For example, not all of our readers have heard of Rudy Mancuso. However, if you've been on the Internet since the mid-'10s, you've certainly come across his videos on Vine and YouTube in one way or another, which together have over a billion views!

Throughout his career, Mancuso has also managed to work closely with various actors, musicians and other influencers such as Justin Bieber, Simon Rex, Lele Pons, Anwar Jibawi and King Bach. He's also performed with Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled, worked with Comedy Central and HBO, and participated in a Dolce & Gabbana Fashion Week, all while maintaining an active music career.

And now Internet personality Rudy Mancuso has taken a stab at filmmaking, debuting at South by Southwest in March 2024 as the director of a romantic comedy inspired by his own experiences growing up in New Jersey and becoming a musician.

Just over a week ago, his new film became available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and it's definitely one of the most high-profile feature debuts to date, as this rom-com has received top marks from critics and audiences alike. Without further ado, let's take a look at what this movie is all about and why it's been so highly praised.

What Is This New Romantic Comedy?

'Music is my first love. My parents say I walked over to the piano when I was just about 5 and stared playing. I think it made sense to me. And through music I discovered the world of video production and storytelling,' Mancuso told Billboard back in 2017. 'And through video production I discovered the world of comedy and performance. And before I knew It I was combining all those things. I started on my phone, then went to YouTube, then to TV and traditional media and then to the stage.'

But now Mancuso has taken his love of music to a new medium, conquering the world of big screen cinema with the debut of the romantic comedy Música, which premiered at SXSW on March 14 and was added to Prime Video on April 4. Música is a coming-of-age love story largely inspired by Rudy's personal experiences.

The plot follows the life of a young man in Newark, New Jersey as he tries to navigate his music career, his personal life, and growing up in the Brazilian cultural environment. Throughout the story, Rudy (yes, the character has the same name as the young filmmaker himself) tries to accept the fact of his future, find common ground with his family, and also feel the joys of romantic life when he meets a young woman named Isabella (Camila Mendes). The film also stars J.B. Smoove, Francesca Reale and director Andy Muschietti in a brief cameo.

What Are Critics and Audiences Saying?

As we mentioned before, both critics and audiences were absolutely thrilled with Música, and such a consensus between professional reviewers and audiences is not very common, which speaks to the quality of the new movie. For example, at the time of this writing, the critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes was an impressive 97% and the audience score was 90%.

Many noted that while some of the plot points are predictable and typical of the romantic comedy genre, the film still proved to be incredibly charming, thanks to Mancuso's charisma as well as the vivid magical realism that permeates the film as both the filmmaker and his character have synesthesia, which helps them compose music.

Source: Billboard.