Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s collection of Spanish cinema and television is growing extensively, with the streaming service not only investing in original projects but also digging out popular dramas that the international audience remains unaware of. With ‘I Love You, Stupid’, it adds another romantic comedy to its already impressive collection.
The Spanish movie stars Quim Gutierrez, a fresh face for the non-Spanish audience, and Natalia Tena, familiar to the fans of the ‘Harry Potter series’, ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘The Mandalorian’. If you hadn’t already made up your mind about watching this film, you probably would after knowing that Tena stars in it. She sports a familiar magenta-shaded hair that might remind you of Nymphadora Tonks, but this is an entirely different role from the familiar fantasy dramas we have seen her in.
I Love You Stupid Plot
After eight years of relationship, Marcos proposes to his girlfriend, Ana. However, she tells him that she wants a break, and that’s the end of it. He moves in with his parents because he has nowhere else to go. When he gets a message from his boss, he thinks that he will at least get some good news at his job. But it turns out that there are lay-offs and he is getting fired.
He is advised by his best friend to take this opportunity to go out more and explore. He downloads several dating apps on his phone, but Marcos knows better than that. Instead of listening to his family and friends, he googles the solution to his problems and finds a self-help guru, who gives a lot of tips about the changes that Marcos needs to make in himself if he is to get a girl. From exercising to diet changes to wardrobe modifications, he completely reinvents himself. It is in between all of this that he meets Raquel. They had known each other in school. Now, they meet fifteen years later, both at completely different places in their lives.
I Love You Stupid Review
Before Marcos talks to anyone else in the film, he breaks the fourth wall and takes the audience into his confidence. It gives off the Fleabag-ish vibe; however, it doesn’t come any close to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s portrayal of a complicated contemporary woman. Of course, that’s not a disappointment; you already knew what you were getting into. Still, it feels somewhat refreshing to get inside the mind of the protagonist.
The film takes a well-known route of romantic comedies. The protagonist is broken-hearted after getting dumped by their long-time partner and cross paths with a kindred soul that they used to know a long time ago. The friendship sparks up, and the man tries to find happiness in other places, completely changing himself for the sake of becoming attractive, and learns his lessons along the way.
The story is very predictable, and halfway into it, you might even guess exactly how it is going to end. The film seems aware of this and indulges you in these guesses. It does not try to surprise you. Instead, it focuses on being sweet and charming and mostly succeeds in that because of its appealing lead pair. It also uses the time to explore the insecurities of the protagonist. Through the changes in him, we witness the idea of masculinity in modern times. It is particularly amusing to watch his best friend’s concern about him turning into a woman because he has started to take care of himself and is not as interested in sports anymore.
The film also comments upon the dependence of the society on dating apps, online love gurus, and self-help stuff. As Marcos reforms himself, we wonder if it is worth it for him to leave behind his real persona, while also asking ourselves why is it wrong for him to want to become better? It is questions like these that you don’t catch yourself pondering upon while watching a rom-com, and that’s what is so refreshing about ‘I Love You, Stupid’.
It could surely have been a whole lot better. The narrative structure needed a lot more work, and the whole fourth wall thing never really amounts to anything. Despite this, it is a good one-time watch, and the ending is delightful enough to leave you smiling.
Rating: 2.5/5
