2574. Selfie 69 (2016)

Starring: Maia Morgenstern, Olimpia Melinte, Crina Semciuc

Director: Cristina Iacob

Running Time: 118 mins

Selfie 69 is a Romanian film and the sequel to Selfie. With their romantic relationships in tatters, three young women decide to place a bet on who can get married first within three days.

A film with all the confidence and energy of a raunchy Hollywood comedy, Selfie 69 has got some good laughs here and there, coupled with a story that, compared to many others in the genre, is a lot more easy-going than you’d expect. Beyond its main premise, however, there isn’t all that much else to write home about, and while there are a few moments of heartfelt drama in the middle of it all, the film struggles to really hit home either as a hilarious comedy or a something occasionally a little more serious and engaging.

First off, I should say that I haven’t seen the original Selfie from 2014, to which this film is a sequel. Knowing it had a good reception I’ll certainly get round to it one day, but I can confidently say that in order to watch Selfie 69, there’s no immediate need to watch the first film, and it’s very easy to pick up on the characters and themes in the early stages here.

And that’s one of the things that I really liked about this movie, the fact that it is on the simpler, lighter side of things. There is some depth, as well as some more risky humour in places, but in general, it’s a fairly simple and easy-going affair, and that makes it a far more likable watch than likely would have been the case if it were to complicate things even the littlest bit more.

It’s not quite on the raunchiest end of the comedy spectrum, but a lot of other movies in that ballpark often get too bogged down in either trying to rely on shock value as a sense of humour, or bringing in more complex emotion that isn’t really warranted in such a film. Fortunately, because Selfie 69 tones down that shock value humour to a certain extent, it does allow for a little more depth and emotional exploration, but it makes sure not to get too carried away with that either, helping the film to be first and foremost a light, enjoyable watch.

As a result, if you turn your brain off, there is some good fun to be had with Selfie 69, from a good couple of laugh-out-loud jokes to a moderately entertaining satire on dating and relationships, as the three young women take widely different approaches to finding their perfect partner in just three days.

On top of that, the film tries to inject a little bit of depth and seriousness into affairs with a look into a few social issues affecting young people in the modern day – ranging from problems surrounding social media to peer pressure and body image – and while its good intentions in that regard are certainly commendable, those ideas do come across as just a little forced, and fail to really work their way into the flow of what is otherwise an enjoyably simple movie.

As a result, those more dramatic pauses, while occasionally pleasantly heartfelt, feel a little jarring in contrast to the rest of the film, and do take away from that pure, simplistic fun factor that works at times throughout.

Overall, Selfie 69 isn’t the world’s most stellar comedy, but nor is it the worst. With some good humour here and there, as well as a welcome light-hearted sense of humour for its genre, there is definitely some fun to be had, although its attempts to bring something a little more to the story generally don’t come off all too successfully, and that’s why I’m giving it a 6.8.