Prime Video’s Relationship Goals may center on workplace rivalry between exes, but for artists-turned-“dawgs” Kelly Rowland and Method Man, the heart of the story shines a spotlight on a tough truth; sometimes the person you clash with most is actually “all you need to get by.”
While chatting with BOSSIP’s Managing Editor Dani Canada, that tension came into focus amid a humming of Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s 1995 classic, which actually underscores how Leah Caldwell (Kelly) and Jarrett Roy (Method Man) fail to recognize just how much they still rely on one another, not only romantically, but professionally.
“No, I think one of them does [realize that],” Method Man interjected with a laugh about Leah and Jarrett possibly being unaware of just how essential they are to each other.
Throughout the film, the two characters push each other. Leah’s push is more career-centered, while Jarrett’s push is for atonement after his womanizing ways drew him and Leah apart.
When asked what audiences can take away from watching two rivals forced to coexist in the same place can take away from the film, Method Man and Kelly openly offered their opinions.
“That is a million-dollar question right there,” said Meth. “You look at the bigger picture of why you’re all there and then try and focus on that. A lot of times, people at the workspace don’t want that to come home with them. They’re not friends once you leave the office building. You can be cordial — ‘Hey, how you doing?’ — but that doesn’t mean you know them outside of work. It’s possible. It’s definitely possible. But love in the office? I’m not the type of person that feels like it’ll work.”
Kelly noted that for Leah, despite how much he might “need” Jarrett to grow professionally, the ambitious news producer has her limits.
“Boundaries are a real thing,” she said. “How will it affect the space that I’m in? How will I show up different?”
That push-and-pull is central to Relationship Goals, which flips the traditional rom-com dynamic by placing career ambition front and center.
Produced by DeVon Franklin, the film follows Leah (Rowland), a sharp, driven television producer on the brink of becoming the first woman to run New York’s top morning show. Just as the promotion appears within reach, her ex, Jarrett (Method Man), reenters her life, and the competition, claiming he’s a changed man thanks to the wisdom of Pastor Michael Todd’s bestselling book Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex, which inspired the film.
Throughout the film, music becomes a playful metaphor for Leah and Jarrett’s unresolved connection and chemistry. At one point, Jarrett even uses music and his personal playllist to push Leah to her limit.
When asked what song Leah would put on her own playlist for Jarrett, Kelly told BOSSIP that she’d choose “Complicated,” the track she and Method Man collaborated on for the film, produced by Jack Dine.
“I would choose our new song, ‘Complicated,’ because that’s exactly what it is,” she said. “Their situation is complicated. Their hearts are complicated. Their thought processing is complicated. People are complicated. Situations are complicated. Relationships are complicated.”
Method Man agreed, calling “All I Need” the obvious pick from his own catalog, while also suggesting Nas’ “If I Ruled the World” as another fit for Jarrett’s (egregiously aggravating) but confident behavior.
“But I like ‘Complicated,’” he added. “That’s a good one right there.”
Behind the scenes, the dynamic between Kelly and Method Man proved just as vital as their on-screen rivalry. Asked whether it was more fun playing adversaries or reluctant allies, Kelly told BOSSIP that she favored scenes where they were at ecah others’ throats.
“I loved the rival. It was so fun.”
Method Man echoed the sentiment and added that their real connection was forged off camera.
“Behind the scenes, that’s my dawg right there,” he told BOSSIP. “Period.”
Kelly went on to praise Method Man as a scene partner, recalling a pivotal chemistry read that sold her on the collaboration.
“I thought, ‘Method Man is gone. I just saw Jarrett,’” she said. “He was vulnerable. He showed up knowing all the lines, feeding me the energy I needed, even when it wasn’t his shot. I don’t take that lightly. He was really generous with the space.”
Method Man returned the admiration.
“You’re only as good as your dance partner. And she got the rhythm.”
Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Linda Mendoza, with a screenplay by Laura Lekkos and earlier drafts by Michael Elliot and Cory Tynan, Relationship Goals also stars Robin Thede, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, and Matt Walsh. The film is executive produced by Rowland, Bart Lipton and Todd under the Amazon MGM Studios banner.
Relationship Goals premiered Feb. 4 on Prime Video.
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