First Hit: There are genuinely funny moments and it also lags in the middle.
The opening holds promise as Clara (Karla Souza) an OB-GYN doctor in a Los Angeles Hospital as we watch her examine patients while the background monologue talks lovingly and sarcastically about the couples she sees. She says she can tell the people who ought to be together versus the couples that don’t seem to be in love any longer.
We then have scenes where she goes to bars, gets drunk and allows herself to be taken home by some guy whom she sleeps with then escapes before they wake up, often leaving her clothing behind for fear of waking up the guy. Her sister Abby (Tiare Scanda) is married, has a young boy with whom Clara has a great relationship, and is aware of her sister’s reckless and lonely lifestyle. The film more than sets up Clara’s inability to have a serious committed relationship.
Clara works with Dr. Asher Grace (Ben O’Toole) who is a very nice fluent Spanish speaking Australian. When he asks her to go out on a date, she avoids doing this using smart-alecky remarks and defensive comments. Having to go to her parents wedding, after they’ve lived together for 40 years, she decides to bring Asher as a date because he looks nice and can speak Spanish. Upon arriving at her parent’s Mexican beach hacienda, lo-and-behold her long lost young love, and longtime family favorite, Daniel (Jose Maria Yazpik) is there also. This sets up complications because Asher wants to create a relationship with Clara, Clara likes him but is unsure, her heart is still with Daniel, her family loves Daniel, and Clara’s long held feelings of love and hurt for Daniel are evident.
After the initial combustion between the two men, the film starts a slow decline into scenes of internal struggle and meanwhile the audience waits for Clara to get herself together and learn how to get clear about what it is she wants and how to love again.
Using a Lily (Ximena Romo) and Beto Alvarez (Harold Torres) patients of Clara’s as a vehicle, the director gets the film on track again and it expectantly ends is a sweet scene.
Souza was strong as a commitment phobic young professional person. I loved many of her expressions as they effectively conveyed her fears. O’Toole was wonderful and sweet. His strength and quick witted comebacks were great. Scanda is good as Clara’s sister who is wondering about her own relationship as well. Yazpik is perfect as the charming commitment phobic old boyfriend who is looking for another temporary place to land. Romo and Torres are sublime as Clara’s patients. Their fear and excitement of having their first baby is wonderful. Catalina Aguilar Mastretta’s script lagged in the middle and there was plenty (15 – 20 minutes) that could be cut out and not hurt this film. Mastretta also directed the film and many of the scenes were well done. However, a critical independent person helping her edit this film would have good.
Overall: In the end the good outweighed the bad as the funny parts were funny and the story is realistic.