The Great Seduction Review | The enchanting Spanish comedy from Netflix
When you read the title for the first time, you might be forgiven for thinking that The Great Seduction is a raunchy sex comedy in which the characters tirelessly try to seduce each other for personal gain. While this concept might be fun, Netflix’s The Great Seduction is far from it. Instead, The Great Seduction is a funny, charming, and light-hearted comedy about the residents of a fading town who get together and try to seduce a doctor into living in their community in order to earn money to keep their house from going bankrupt.
Netflix’s The Great Seduction is actually a Spanish adaptation of a screenplay by Ken Scott from the underrated 2013 comedy. The Great Seduction. Scott’s original follows the exact same storyline as Netflix’s new adaptation, but instead starred Brendan Gleeson and Taylor Kirsch. Even if Netflix lacks international star power The Great Seduction does more than enough to stand out from the crowd and shows great respect for the original source material.
The new cast offers endearing performances backed by impeccable comedic timing that are sure to make some laugh. While the humor isn’t exactly laughable, it serves its purpose in a subtle way. Between the cinematic shots and the staging and the undeniably sweet music that sets the tone early on, The Great Seduction It feels a bit like a toned down Spanish Wes Anderson film. It does take a while to get into, and there are a few moments where the audience might switch off a bit, but that’s all The Great Seduction is a nice 95 minute film.
An adapted screenplay
As previously mentioned, Netflix The Great Seduction follows exactly the same storyline as the 2013 comedy, The Great Seduction. The crazy townsfolk of Santa Maria have struggled for years as their aging home became increasingly bankrupt and devastated. Most of them finally have enough and start walking. Mateo (Guillermo Villegas), the film’s main character, is the only one willing to give the city the effort and support it needs to prosper again, even if his wife (and even the mayor of Santa Maria) left to pursue something better.
With that, Mateo and the rest of the remaining villagers put their heads together and try to save their town. They approach a burgeoning company to set up a factory on their land, create jobs for the townspeople, and continue to bring business to Santa Maria. However, the company declines the offer for a very specific reason: Santa Maria doesn’t have a doctor. So Mateo comes up with a plan to lure a doctor and save their town.
Understandably, the doctor is not particularly fond of Santa Maria. It’s run down, has no wifi, no sports facilities, and only one restaurant with a limited menu. So it’s up to the citizens to persuade the good doctor to stay and come together to provide sports, entertainment and his favorite food, among other things. Soon the doctor finds the heart that explains why the residents of Santa Maria stay and begins to see all the joy that reigns in this small, quaint little town.
humor that lands
The Great Seduction is full of endearingly funny moments. From the town listening to the doctor’s phone conversations, allowing for plenty of hilarious reactions and dynamics, to a boatswain cruising past our main characters with a cow in the front of his boat, this film is packed with wacky humor more often than it works not really. Watching the residents of Santa Maria try American football with watermelons on their heads is hilariously silly.
Likewise, behind all the madness and silliness are numerous subtle jokes and conversations. Little things like discussions about rock music become enchantingly funny. Sure, it doesn’t sound particularly interesting or hilarious on paper, but given the film’s use of music, cinematography, light-hearted tone, and eccentric portrayals, these moments are genuinely comical.
An exceptional cast
The ensemble of The Great Seduction is really extraordinary. Each actor creates a multi-layered character full of heart and expert comedic timing. Guillermo Villegas gives a heartwarming performance as the film’s main character, who soon feels guilty for manipulating and lying to the doctor so he can live in Santa Maria forever. His funny timing is also on point and always makes us laugh.
The most mind-blowing performance, however, comes from Hector Jimenez, who many may remember from the comedy classic Nacho Libre. Whether it’s because of his athlete’s foot, which has spread to his leg, or his hatred of rock music, Jimenez is an incredible delight to those who know the star and a hilarious surprise to those who don’t
bucket full of heart
Yes, the film is funny, but what will really win over audiences is the heart of the film. From the opening scene The Great Seduction oozes heart and charm, and it never lets up (sometimes out of place). The film’s music helps set a light tone, and the adapted script and performances create eccentric yet authentic characters that are well worth investing in. It’s a pretty silly story, at least conceptually, but writers Luciana Herrera Caso and Celso R. Garcia, who also direct the film, make this pretty ridiculous conspiracy worth believing.
Additionally, each member of the cast helps lift the heart that is the focus of this film. Don’t get us wrong The Great Seduction Certainly the film isn’t emotionally transformative and poignant, which the film really never aspires to be, but it will no doubt put a healthy smile on your face.
