2594. It’s Now Or Never (2015)

Starring: María Valverde, Dani Rovira, Clara Lago

Director: María Ripoll

Running Time: 90 mins

It’s Now Or Never (Ahora O Nunca) is a Spanish film about a happy couple whose dream wedding in the English countryside goes entirely wrong after an air traffic control strike prevents the groom from reaching the destination.

While it charms and entertains at times with its fun-loving sense of chaos, the truth is that you’ve seen films exactly like It’s Now Or Never a million times before, and often in a far better guise. This may have some fun laughs here and there, as well as a collection of energetic and playful performances, but it does almost nothing to really surprise you at any point, proving a frustratingly generic if not still pleasantly easy-going watch throughout.

But let’s start on the bright side, with the film’s cast of thoroughly enjoyable lead actors. Again, the story may not have much to surprise you with, but the performances are great fun right across the board, with Dani Rovira and María Valverde both proving hugely likable and cutesy as the central couple – with good chemistry too despite not spending much time on screen together.

And it’s not just the two leads, because the film is filled with zany characters and what are effectively sidekicks that accompany Rovira and Valverde through their various trials and tribulations, with a stand out supporting turn from Clara Lago as the bride’s best friend, and a number of others whose appearances serve well to bring the situation into more ridiculous chaos.

When it comes to that chaos, it’s fair to say that the majority of the movie is watching things go from bad to worse on the eve of the big wedding. You’ll notice that it’s a premise that sounds very familiar from a number of comedies and rom-coms, and you’ll likely not have much against it going in. And that’s just the thing with It’s Now Or Never, while it’s far from the world’s most original, hilarious watch, it does do just enough to entertain with its manic, albeit generic, chaos.

So, if you’re looking for easy, quickfire laughs that see the main characters caught up in a series of preposterous but moderately funny situations, then you’ll have fun with It’s Now Or Never, especially if you’re a long-term fan of the rom-com genre and all the tropes that go with it.

But there enlies the big problem with this movie, the fact that, as easy-going and pleasantly enjoyable as it is at times, it doesn’t really offer much in the way of interesting story or character development, or even anything particularly bright or original in terms of comedy.

As a result, the film’s tendency to sit with the most generic rom-com tropes (yes, there is even a last-minute run to the airport here as well), proves really frustrating, and as the predictable twists and turns pile up, it becomes difficult to really engage with the story at hand, instead proving really quite dull and difficult to say captivated by come the end.

Overall, then, while I liked elements of It’s Now Or Never, from its likable cast to the fun-loving sense of chaos, it really isn’t the most memorable or original film you’ll come across, proving frustratingly generic throughout, albeit doing just enough with rom-com genre tropes to entertain from time to time, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.0.