The Perfect Family (2022) is a comedy about two very different families coming together as a result of marriage and how this union leads to utter chaos in their lives. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Pablo and Sara are planning on getting married. Pablo is a lawyer who comes from a wealthy family while Sara is a gym instructor who belongs to a working-class family. Their union is quite an uncommon one.
Lucia, Pablo’s mother, is not very keen on this marriage and while she initially tries to hinder the preparations she eventually has to accept it. She also grows close to Sara’s father, Miguel, and even shares a kiss with him during the wedding preparations.
Miguel says that he’s in love with Lucia but Lucia just believes that she’s been living a life that was not her own until she finally broke free and that led to some questionable decisions.
She proceeds to start from the beginning once again and build a life for herself that is not based on anyone else opinions and while she’s regretful of the effect her infidelity had on the rest of the family, she is unapologetic about focusing on herself for once.
Performances
Belén Rueda easily has the most amount of screen time and she plays her role quite well despite not being given a lot of depth.
Every member of the cast performs admirably in a film that ultimately does not provide much to the characters in terms of development.
Positives
The film does a good job of showcasing the plight of a wide variety of women and the different issues they have to face daily simply as a result of their gender.
The moment where Amparo is forced to put down the angry driver who disrespected her incited the right reaction as the crowd around her began to applaud. It was a tirade worth praising and giving notice to.
Two sequences involving Lucia can be credited for pleasing cinematography. The initial sequence is when the camera follows her around the house as she talks on the phone and then again when she’s trying to write her apology letter around her new tiny apartment.
Negatives
It is difficult to predict what the real focus of the film was meant to be. Initially, it seems to follow the story of how two contrasting families might learn to like each other in the lead up to the wedding, then it switches to the forbidden love story between Lucia and Miguel.
Finally, it turns out to be a journey of self-discovery for Lucia. It felt like even the director didn’t know what approach to take with the film and made it up as he went along.
The story is rushed as a result of the uncertainty. One minute they’re preparing for the wedding and then the wedding takes place and soon after Sara is pregnant which means time passed by in a flash without much significance.
Even though Lucia was the primary focus, other characters also exhibited some form of growth which was overlooked. It led to an unsatisfying experience as the ending falls flat due to the lack of a connection with the audience.
Lucia’s turnaround in the second half of the film is meant to be inspiring but is very far-fetched. Most people in poverty struggle to even find a place to live, let alone make the kind of change that she was able to and still come out on top.
Verdict
The Perfect Family (2022) has a few good moments but ultimately it fails to be considered an overall good film. There are some inspiring messages about woman empowerment trying to be shared but the story jumps through unnecessary hoops to get there.
Rating: 2/5
Also Read: The Perfect Family (2022) summary and ending explained