Love at First Kiss review: Heartfelt yet problematic

A romantic comedy with a supernatural twist, Love at First Kiss is about a man named Javier, who has the power to see the future every time he kisses a girl. This lets him get out of relationships before things go sour, earning him a playboy reputation. The situation gets tough when he accidentally kisses his best friend’s girlfriend and sees a happy future with her.

Story

Love at First Kiss introduces Javier, the owner of a struggling publishing house called Mon FORTE Editions. He also has a secret superpower, which he discovered after his first kiss at 16.

He can see a relationship’s future whenever he kisses someone. As an adult, this superpower allows him to have fun with the woman he’s dating and break up before things get rough. 

Unfortunately, this earns him the reputation of a playboy with commitment issues. He also has very stern opinions about how to run things, resulting in a spiraling business. 

Things get interesting when Javi goes to dinner with his best friend Roberto, and his girlfriend, Lucía. After Roberto leaves early, a drunk friend drags Javi and Lucía to the dance floor and pushes them to kiss each other. 

Even though it lasts for a split second, Javi has a vision of a beautiful future with Lucía during the kiss. It includes a happy married life and a bunch of kids. 

Now, he must figure out how to attain the woman of his dreams without destroying his friendship.

Performances

Álvaro Cervantes plays Javier in Love at First Kiss. His character is restricted in substance as all we see him struggle with is women and getting books published.

He does well with the material he is given, but his performance is limited by the character’s blatant lack of backstory and depth. 

Silvia Alonso and Susana Abaitua play the two female protagonists and are fun to watch. 

Alonso as Lucía is also underutilized. Her character jumps between dating two best friends throughout the film and is used for nothing more than aiding the protagonist’s growth towards the end.

On the contrary, Abaitua as Ariana is the best thing about the film. Her eccentric portrayal of the quirky girl next door is refreshing, and her character has some significance.

You understand how her life trajectory has turned her into this carefree yet unsettled person that she is. 

Lastly, Gorka Otxoa as Roberto is a nice addition to the supporting cast. Even with little screen time, you get more insight into his character than Javier’s. 

Positives

Love at First Kiss has a very interesting premise and builds upon it organically. It does not rely on the supernatural element to singlehandedly steer the plot and focuses on the humane side of things.

Through its narrative structure, the film questions if love needs to have struggles and insecurities attached to it. It also talks about the pros and cons of knowing the future, leaning towards the fact that uncertainty is better.

Negatives

The film’s premise is let down by its predictable ending and confusing writing. The moment you see the alleged lead couple fall in love before the first half is over, it is evident where the story is headed.

Relationships in Love at First Kiss are depicted as quite superficial, and the scenarios are bewildering. Lucía dates Roberto, then lives with Javi, and eventually goes back to Roberto. The situation isn’t unrealistic, but the emotional baggage and trauma related to it are non-existent. 

Furthermore, she gets annoyed and leaves when Javi doesn’t react the way she expects him to on his birthday. This reaction may make sense concerning Javi’s powers, but it just creates an expectation vs. reality debate in reality.

The film intends to present very valid arguments as stated above, but its way of tackling and validating them isn’t relatable or believable.

Verdict

Despite its flaws, Love at First Kiss is exactly what you expect it to be, a fun one-time watch riddled with love and romance. Admittedly, that is not a bad thing when it comes to romantic comedies. Unfortunately, this film still had a lot of potential that it failed to tap into in terms of its characters and story beats.

Love at First Kiss
Love at First Kiss review: Heartfelt yet problematic 1

Director: Alauda Ruiz de Azúa

Date Created: 2023-03-03 14:02

Editor's Rating:
2.5

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