And it is that entering fully into the field of polyamorous relationships could have given a lot of play, but at the moment of truth everything ends up being an uninspired romantic comedy that seeks to give a feeling of modernity -those digital tweaks here and there to give another visual air at certain moments – when at the moment of truth he does not want or does not know very well how to go beyond the surface.
A fairly low ceiling
It is noticeable by watching ‘Polyamory for beginners’ that its managers have made an effort not to limit themselves to using polyamory or the streamer world without having any knowledge about it. The problem is that once presented, the film does not really know what to do about it, limiting itself to return to the same ideas over and over again.
In fact, an important part is structured in such a way that on the one hand we seem to have a typical romantic comedy, turning the other couples of the protagonist into little less than an obstacle so that our two protagonists can end up together. It is only the good contrasting work done to distinguish each of these relationships that keeps it from becoming exhausting.
And it is that the problem of humor in ‘Polyamory for beginners’ is not so much that it is too basic for the topic it addresses as that there is not enough variety to avoid becoming repetitive. That is when his lack of spark is more evident, since no matter how much you pile up situations, you lack that ingenuity necessary for everything to come together.
What I would like to highlight is that, with the exception of the first bars of the relationship between the two protagonists, the film at least does have enough naturalness to avoid giving the impression of addressing more modern issues without knowledge. The efficiency of his cast helps there, he cannot work miracles by raising the material he has at his disposal, but at least he defends it with conviction.
It takes more than good intentions
One of the most curious aspects is that ‘Polyamory for beginners’ works better in the subplot of the protagonist’s parents, almost as a kind update of José Luis Moreno’s marriages than anything else. Without a doubt it helps a lot to have in that plot with the comic vision of Karra Elejalde, but above all to put aside unnecessary excesses.
The latter is a hallmark of the film – there are small outbursts here and there, but always keeping everything under control – thus giving a balance that under normal conditions should have benefited ‘Polyamory for beginners’. And I say under normal conditions because in the case at hand it ends up functioning as a self-imposed limitation, as if it were content to offer as little as possible about its most modern elements so as not to disturb anyone.
Good intentions in terms of the message you are trying to convey are perhaps most responsible for this. From the forced regret after the criticisms on YouTube much less inflammatory than it should to justify what happens in that plot to that outcome that could have closed the film with a good taste in the mouth of not wanting to take everything further without logic.
In short
I have to confess that after seeing the trailer I was afraid of an absolute disaster, but ‘Polyamory for beginners’ is simply a discreet comedy, which in some scenes can cause disbelief, but in exchange in others it knows how to handle with some ease, always and when one does not go with the determination to hate her. To see (or not) and soon forget about it.
