Everybody Loves Somebody [2017]: Written and directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta and starring Karla Souza from ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, Everybody Loves Somebody is set between a bustling Los Angeles and quaint Baja seaside. When Clara (Souza), a no-nonsense and successful doctor, is drawn home to Mexico for her parent’s wedding, she takes Asher, a fellow doctor she barely knows (played by Australian, Ben O’Toole), and emotional confusion ensues when the party is interrupted by the arrival of her beloved former fiancé Daniel (Jose Maria Yazpik).
Between Two Worlds: Surrounded on one side by the happy marriages of her sister and parents, coupled with an established rhythm between Daniel and Clara’s family, and on the other by a revolving door of unhappy-in-love patients, painting a bright and rich duality for the film and for Clara. Just as Clara weaves between her two men, the film dances between English and Spanish, California and Mexico, with whip-smart dialogue and electrically charged car rides. All the film’s language transitions are smooth, and the dual language script is a true novelty that gives audiences the je ne sais quoi of a foreign film with the comfort and familiarity of a standard Hollywood movie.
Not Reinventing the Wheel: Clara’s battle between past and future, love and commiseration, is typical romantic comedy fodder. Each plot device is predictable, but they remain fun and engaging. The core idea is by no means new – The Sweetest Thing, 27 Dresses, Trainwreck, and When in Rome are just a few examples of films involving cynical characters who fall in love against their better judgements – but what Mastretta’s film does differently is sport a supporting cast that contains no outrageous caricatures that are so typical of the genre; the sister is not embittered or envious, the parents are loud and lovable and ordinary, the new guy is reserved and makes no grand gestures of love like something you might see in Say Anything. They’re all grounded and responsible, and allow for Clara’s insecurities, flaws, sass, and charm to stand out on their own.
Many Paths to the Same Goal: Romantic comedies, while designed to make us feel that love is possible for us all, also feed into our idea that love has a blueprint, an instruction manual that will produce the perfect man if we follow each step with precision and care. What Everybody tries to show is that thinking there’s only one path to love is foolish; each character has ventured down a path with or to someone that brings meaning to their lives. None of those adventures were right or wrong and each one provided its own gifts and challenges, and Clara discovers this as she ventures through her memories with Daniel and the new possibilities with Asher.
While nothing extraordinary, Mastretta’s sophomore film is unique and engaging enough to stand out amongst its peers.
Watch Everybody Loves Somebody on iTunes