Unsuspicious review: Mediocre comedy-thriller with unexpected twists and turns

Unsuspicious is a Brazillian comedy-thriller that recounts the erratic lives of three women, who were conned by the same playboy and how his death makes them suspects in the murder. The series is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

The story of Unsuspicious centres on wealthy playboy Jorginho Peixoto, who has defrauded three women. His ex-wife Bete Oliveira, his wife Patricia, and his lover Thyellen Almeida are all invited to the dinner party.

They all meet up at his estate with their families to seek clarification and spend the awkward evening having dinner together.

Jorginho plans to give his assets to the present members under the condition that they either leave empty-handed or sign the contract. Everyone knows he has swindled all of their properties. He forces them to comply with his terms and sign the contract papers.

This causes confusion among all the members, and when they all gather in his study room to resolve the situation, he is found dead. They are all named as suspects in his murder and are required to remain in the mansion until the investigation is completed.

As the investigation goes on, each of their murky secrets is gradually revealed, making them the likely suspects in the swindler’s murder.

Performances

The main character, Jorginho Peixoto, played by Paulo Tiefenthaler, does a terrific job portraying the stereotypical playboy and infamous swindler. Although he is portrayed as an antagonist whom everyone despises and wishes to murder, including the audience, you can tell he’s done his job well.

Washington, the butler, portrayed by Eliezer Motta, plays a significant role in twisting the plot towards the end. And his serious yet not-so-serious nature in between takes you by surprise.

Silvero Pereira, who plays Aquila’s drag queen persona, nails the exact representation of it. And GKAY’s character, Xandra, reflects the queer personality just mediocrely. Their performance is over-the-top, with loud and foolish facial expressions.

Marcelo Médici plays Detective Nunes, a funny character reminiscent of Mr Bean. His quirky personality and a tendency for comically getting into mischief are the few reasons to watch this series.

Yara’s role is a perfect fit for the series. Given all that is going on in the mansion where her father dies, her character development makes perfect sense. Other side characters do not pique the viewers’ interest as much and are poorly written.

Positives

The first season of Unsuspicious concludes on a cliffhanger that leaves the possibility that the murderer may still be at large, giving viewers a good enough excuse to return.

The majority of the actors portray palpably deceitful personalities in the series, which is shot with precise cinematography. The murder mystery at the centre of the series is wonderfully constructed, and it surely piques viewers’ interest in figuring out the whodunit.

The twists and turns of the series are just unpredictable enough to keep the audience hooked on the mystery and engaged enough to try and figure things out on their own.

Negatives

Unsuspicious has a flimsy plot and relies heavily on provocative, poorly written jokes and puns, none of which are worth a laugh. The humour between the characters is more akin to two stiff girls standing about telling terrible jokes while grinning slightly and asking, “Aren’t I funny?” No, not at all.

One more drawback is the inadequate representation of the LGBTQ character Xandra. There is very little character development.

The audience is occasionally left disappointed and irritated. Especially with Detective Nunes’ character, who has so much potential but is handled so terribly. His jabs at Yara make it worse.

The actors put a lot of energy into the performance, but the audience has to put up with the comical behaviour, weak script, dull premise, and unpleasant chaos.

Verdict

Unsuspicious is a mediocre comedy thriller that centres on a murder and features cheesy humour throughout. It is amusing to see so many oddballs together in one spot. However, if you’re searching for great humour and clever storytelling, this is not the series for you.

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