1841. We Need To Talk (2016)

Starring: Michelle Jenner, Hugo Silva, Ernesto Sevilla

Director: David Serrano

Running Time: 91 mins

We Need To Talk (Tenemos que hablar) is a Spanish film about a woman in the midst of a great relationship with a successful man. However, she is still married to her husband of past infamy, after the two parted following a disastrous financial gamble. Now, she must try to negotiate a divorce years after, but unexpected problems arise when they reunite.

Some films, particularly when it comes to the romantic comedy genre, are just decent, and that’s exactly the case with We Need To Talk. It’s not going to set the world alight, and I won’t be thinking about it long after I’ve seen it, but it passes an hour and a half relatively well with an engaging story and a couple of laughs here and there. It’s not an emotionally riveting watch nor a hilarious one, but it’s light and pleasant enough to be just decent.

That’s not always what you want to hear about a film, but sometimes it can be a positive. Above all, the great thing about this film is that you really don’t need to think all that hard at any point throughout. Although it may want to instil a little more emotion out of you at points, it’s still a fairly engaging watch thanks to its generic but fluffy story.

Again, it hardly seems like a glowing compliment to call a film just fluffy and simple enough to entertain you for ninety minutes, but we can also turn to the two lead performances for more praise towards the film. Both Michelle Jenner and Hugo Silva are smiley and energetic enough throughout, with comfortable enough chemistry to make their former marriage convincing enough, and yet enough spark to make the romance just as believable.

Now, I obviously can’t say that this film is flawless, because it’s full of tropes and predictable problems. Above all, it falls foul to some of the most generic romantic comedy tropes, and through simply playing out a very formulaic and predictable story, where you can easily tell every single twist and turn that the film will take, there’s not all that much to write home about in truth.

What’s more is that, although it’s generally a surprisingly pleasant watch, there are a couple of rather irritating side characters that don’t do all that much to help the film’s cause. Given that the comedy isn’t that high-quality, having likable characters can be a real saviour to a film, and although that’s the case for the two leads, it’s not when it comes to some of their friends and associates, making for a couple of less-than-hilarious scenes throughout.

Overall, however, I though We Need To Talk was just fine. It’s a romantic comedy as generic as you’d expect, but with two entertaining lead performances and a fluffy and simple atmosphere, it’s a pleasant enough 90 minutes, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.3.