2597. The Club Of Good Unfaithful Men (2016)

Starring: Raúl Fernández, Hovik Keuchkerian, Alberto Esparza

Director: Lluís Segura

Running Time: 90 mins

The Club Of Good Unfaithful Men (El club de los buenos infieles) is a Spanish film about a group of lifelong friends who, after discovering that they’re all losing a sense of attraction for their wives, set out on a mission to save their marriages by having an affair, setting up the Club Of Good Unfaithful Men.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. While it’s occasionally a little on the laddish side, and also doesn’t always have the big laughs it seems to promise, there’s a surprising amount to like about this film, from a quartet of hugely enjoyable lead performances to a bizarre yet genuine sense of chaos throughout, proving far more level-headed and engaging than its premise may at first suggest to you.

With that, I have to say that the film’s biggest achievement is making a group of adult men engaging in what is effectively serial adultery appear not only entertaining, but really as if it’s coming from a genuinely good place in their hearts. As I said, there are times when the film can feel a bit laddish, and nobody likes to see people taking glee in cheating on their partners, however the movie does a surprisingly brilliant job at convincing you of the men’s good intentions, which makes all the chaos and action that plays throughout a whole lot more enjoyable.

If the film had taken a more mean-spirited approach and simply told a story of men trying to have an affair just because they’re bored of their wives, then it would have been very difficult to like anything about the movie, but it’s that surprisingly genuine element to the story that sets up what is an overall thoroughly likable and enjoyable watch.

Now, whether it be the drastic lengths the men go to in order to recapture their youth and seduce every woman in sight, or the ridiculous scenarios they find themselves in with each failure, there’s always something to laugh at here, with the film’s impressively self-aware and light-hearted sense of humour working wonders for its fun factor throughout, only furthered by its lead quartet of brilliantly fun characters.

While they don’t seem to go together like peas in a pod, this group of friends works brilliantly on screen throughout, with convincing and energetic chemistries as they recapture their glory days together, while also impressing when it comes to moments of a little more serious drama, where the genuine strength of their friendship shines through.

And that’s just another part of the film that may seem a little boisterous and laddish at the outset, but ultimately proves both enjoyable and pleasingly kind-hearted, and while the film as a whole isn’t always as wonderful as you may hope, it does more than enough throughout to keep you thoroughly entertained, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.4 overall.