Tell Me When

I am incredibly shocked to see the low rating here. I expected the average rating to be in the 7s. If nothing else, please take from my review that you should give this a chance!

Perhaps the issue is that these viewers went into it expecting something different. It is a romantic comedy but it's more layered, intimate, and subtle than the average film in this genre. Where so many romcoms go wrong is that the entire focus is on the romance, which is very often based upon only a couple interactions, unrealistic.

Quite the opposite with this one: the secondary characters were fleshed out, the location and setting was well represented. And the couple ACTUALLY spent enough time together, in situations where they could genuinely get to know each other, that you could believe they could realistically fall in love, not just infatuation or sexual attraction.

I don't want to give away spoilers but I will say that I enjoyed the comparisons between the main characters grandfather and grandmother's romance, and how it related to his relationship with his new friend. And the inclusion of others in their love story which gives a hint that sometimes the road to lifelong love isn't one grand gesture, but taking things slow, really getting to know each other, and building upon a friendship first.

Any successful long-term marriage/relationship, in real life, is based on friendship. That's something that most romance movies forget. There were also some stylistic choices that I felt did a great job finding a creative way to express the feelings we all experience when it comes to love.

Give this film a chance, if you are the sort of person who wants to watch a different kind of romcom. You'd have to go into it knowing that it's going to be more subtle. Not boring, just subtle. If you go into that attitude and expectation I think you'll have a better time

A wonderful film, representing Mexican cinema making really well, and something that I think over time more people will "get" and might even become a cult classic.

Sometimes a cliche can be used and as a viewer you might not mind that much. Or a movie can be built upon a few of them. Again, depending on your thresshold and what you are able to be forgiving of .. it can work in your and the movies favor.

Something you have to consider when it comes to the movie right here. Dancing around them (no pun intended) may be one way you can look at them. You have to have a soft spot for some romance, drama and light comedy of course ... can you see that in you? And obviously in a movie you are about to watch? Well go ahead and do it then.

Fun, some good funny scenes, very cliché, but cool, our eternal Maria Joaquina (Ludwika Paleta) ...

A professional very nerdy guy from the US goes to Mexico to explore his roots, and has a bit of a cultural clash, and a few kind of life-changing experiences -- from the mundane to romance.

It's a farfetched story, farcical, but with some realistic Mexican aspects that makes somewhat different than Hollywood -- subtle farce with somewhat realistic characters one can find in modern Mexico. They are caricatures, yes, but not jerks doing whatever for a laugh, whether it makes sense or not, as I've seen too much of in the past.

Some rom-com clichés in this one, yes -- it's a rom-com, a cliché by definition. But some aspects are different form the typical Hollywood. Made this one fun to watch.

The story feels somewhat different, original, refreshing. The characters and the environment are kind of realistic Mexican (for a farce) with a little different sense of humor. The differences are realistic, not exaggerated -- unlike so many USA films portraying Mexican characters as primitive clichés.

I've watched a bunch of these Netflix originals (for Spanish practice) and this one of the better ones. The cinematography is actually pretty outstanding. The main actors in the film all give good performances. And the ending was enough of a twist on the typical cliche that it felt like a more modern, sensitive take on a more "real" love story.

It's not going to win any awards but it's worth a watch.