Summary
A lighthearted comedy with a fun main story, yet it somehow feels unfinished. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s not a good one either.
We review the Netflix film The Marriage App, which does not contain spoilers.
Netflix’s quirky comedy from Argentina, The Marriage App (original title: Matrimillas), was written by Gabriel Korenfeld and Rocio Blanco and directed by Sebastián de Caro (Claudia). Luisana Lopilato and Juan Minujín star as Belén and Federico, a married couple who sign-up for a rather unconventional way to rekindle their relationship. The film starts like any self-respecting romance movie should – With a less than cute meet-cute in which Federico asks Belén out after driving into and snapping off her open car door.
Years after the unfortunate incident that brought them together, Belén and Federico are married and have two children. He works as a dentist, but that’s not his true calling. She’s a toymaker. He’s too laid back and constantly makes promises he can’t keep because he keeps forgetting about them. She’d like to be as laid back as her husband, but things like day-to-day life and bills get in the way. Of course, he gets to spend his Tuesdays cooking with his buddies while she has to make do with undercooked pasta. When Belén tries expressing her frustrations, Federico accuses her of being a nag before making more empty promises. It’s clear from the first few minutes that everything is not well in their marriage.
One evening, the couple meet up for dinner with Belén’s sister, Nati (Carla Pandolfi), and her husband, German (Javier Pedersoli), a couple known for their constant bickering. However, Belén and Federico are surprised to see the two unable to keep their hands off each other. Keen to find the same marital bliss, Belén and Federico end up at a company that promises to fix their relationship. How? With a pair of smartwatches that monitor their relationship in what they call “marriage miles.” Doing something nice for their spouse, such as breakfast in bed earns them miles while doing something their spouse wouldn’t approve of, detracts points. Once they earned enough points, each person can “cash” them against activities they enjoy such as nights out, a personal hobby, or even an international trip with the boys. Funnily enough, Federico was planning to attend a cooking competition in Cancun with his friends. So instead of talking to his wife about it, he sets off to become the best husband alive, in a desperate attempt at earning the required points and his desired trip.
The film’s concept of “gamifying” marriage is fun and the two leads have great chemistry. But they could have done more with the execution. Firstly, the technology itself makes little sense. Initially, the leads are told their smartwatches monitor their brain activity to add or subtract points. Yet, the watches show no response to scenes where the pair actively plot against one another. Sure, I’m all for suspending disbelief when watching fiction, but this movie seems to constantly change and ignore the very rules it creates.
Everything that happens and most plot points introduced are inconsequential and ultimately go nowhere. The trip to Cancun, Federico’s frustrating inability to keep his word, the daughter’s YouTube channel, the daughter’s anger, the quirky son, Belén’s sister, Federico’s mom, Belén’s best friend/business partner, Belén’s travel plans – All these pieces of the narrative and characters are introduced at different points in the run time before being unceremoniously dropped and left unresolved. From the beginning, the movie makes it clear the two leads struggle to communicate with each other, yet that particular issue is glossed over and never addressed.
The Marriage App is a lighthearted comedy with a fun main story, yet it somehow feels unfinished. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s not a good one either. By the end, it leaves the viewer frustrated with an outcome it didn’t earn.
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