The Taming of the Shrewd 2 Review – A frustrating, unnecessary sequel

By Amanda Guarragi - December 20, 2023
The Taming of the Shrewd 2 Review
The Taming of the Shrewd 2 | Image via Netflix
By Amanda Guarragi - December 20, 2023
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Summary

It’s hard to sit through a film that has no idea what to do with its characters for the sake of making a sequel.

Netflix has been making sequels to certain romantic comedies that have gotten a lot of buzz, and The Taming of the Shrewd 2 is one of them. The first film was released in 2022 and it’s interesting to see how fast the second one came out. Director Anna Wieczur-Bluszcz created a steamy rom-com with a very realistic antagonist who is scheming against the couple. A heartbroken scientist moves back home to start over and her brother hires a handsome stranger to convince her to sell the land. Her brother wanted money instead of helping his sister through whatever she was going through. However, it did work out in the end for his sister and this random stranger.

This is why we got a sequel to The Taming of the Shrewd. There was too much left unanswered and it was a nice romantic story between Kaska and Patryk. But like with any love story, things can change and we see that in the sequel.

The Taming of the Shrewd 2 review and plot summary

There’s only so much time in the honeymoon phase that can sustain a relationship. Once you get to know each other, the real things get in the way and there could be challenges that you face. For Kaska and Patryk it’s not all sunshine, and they face some difficult moments in this sequel. What difficulties could happen in a simple romance movie? Well, the idea of another man whisking away the girl you’re in love with is definitely one of them. Kaska has won an award in America and will soon fly out to accept it. However, Patryk knows that her ex-boyfriend resides there, and they may rekindle their relationship. Of course, this is purely speculative, but Patryk can’t help but feel that her ex would be better suited for her.

No matter how secure you may be in your relationship, it’s the rumors around you and the jealousy that can make you think many different things. While Kaska and Patryk go through their rough patch, they are also the godparents to Franek and Jagoda’s newborn. There’s a symbolic commitment here to be together for as long as the child is alive, and this is what puts a strain on their relationship as well. Whatever is happening to them individually is affecting their relationship as a whole.

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The film is a series of miscommunication as more doubt is placed in Patryk’s mind when men pretend to be with Kaska and poke fun at the idea. Patryk no longer trusts her and she has no idea why he would even question her. Unfortunately, the miscommunication in this romantic comedy isn’t a fun kind, but rather immature and could have been solved with a simple discussion. This one is dragged out to attempt humorous moments, but it falls flat.

The viewers get a different perspective on both characters and their ideas of change from the first film. It’s sad because the first film was so well-received and it was wholesome. However, the idea of deception to this degree harmed the lighthearted nature of the series.

Is Taming of the Shrewd 2 worth watching?

Unfortunately, The Taming of the Shrewd 2 strays away from what they initially wanted to present in the first film. When the sequel is a departure from the original, that’s a bit of an issue. It’s important to remain consistent while changing things a little, but having the characters change this drastically didn’t work. You’re not focused on their love story, but more so questioning their every move and decision-making because it’s something you maybe wouldn’t have done.

Sure, it’s engaging, but it’s for the wrong reasons. It’s incredibly frustrating to watch characters do things that they shouldn’t. In this case, these are dumb decisions and it gets irritating watching them go through this. Jealousy is fun to play with, but not to this extent because they are perfectly happy with each other. It’s as if the writers had no idea where to take this story and they ended up changing these characters to create some unnecessary drama.

What did you think of Taming of the Shrewd 2? Comment below.


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