Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2664. The Laws Of Thermodynamics (2018)

    2664. The Laws Of Thermodynamics (2018)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on August 31, 2019 100-109 mins, 2018, 6 - 7.9, Aug 19, Comedy, Drama, Movies Of 2019, Review, Romance, Spain
    7.7 Very unique
    • Acting 7.6
    • Directing 7.9
    • Story 7.7
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Vito Sanz, Berta Vázquez, Chino Darín

    Director: Mateo Gil

    Running Time: 100 mins


    The Laws Of Thermodynamics (Las leyes de la termodinámica) is a Spanish film about a man who suffers a breakup with his girlfriend, explained through the theories of quantum physics and thermodynamics.

    There are so, so many romantic comedies out there, so it’s a real pleasure to see one that really thinks outside of the box, and takes a different approach to the most formulaic premise in film. The Laws Of Thermodynamics, while not perfect, does exactly that, and with a likable core story that’s brilliantly brought to life by a pseudo-documentary style, it proves a surprising and consistently entertaining watch right the way through.

    At its core, the movie tells the bog-standard romantic comedy story. A guy and a girl have a meet-cute, get together, have an argument, break up, and then that’s pretty much it. Now, there are hundreds of films every year that tell that exact same story, and nothing else, simply sitting with the idea that ‘true love’ is in itself enough to hold your attention throughout.

    The Laws Of Thermodynamics, on the other hand, recognises that the bargain basement romantic comedy really isn’t enough to be a film on its own, and that’s why it takes that core formula and tells it through a different spectre. Rather than being all about love and romance, it’s a film that talks about emotions and relationships from a scientific perspective, relating the ups and downs of any romantic relationship with the natural dynamics of physics.

    So, while we see the relationship between the two leads unfold, the film features regular interjections from a number of ‘interviewees’, who explain the ‘laws of thermodynamics’ in documentary style, only for those scientific formulae and theories to then be played out in the form of the romantic story.

    It’s a weird idea, and not one that you’d think would work for very long, but there’s something about this movie’s brilliantly unique approach to a painfully overplayed story that’s so fun to watch, and continues to surprise time after time.

    On the one hand, the explanations of the laws of thermodynamics are, in and of themselves, really rather interesting. It’s a nice top-up on any lingering knowledge of physics you might still have from school, but otherwise, there’s quite a lot to learn from the movie, although I must admit I found quite a lot of it a little too complicated to get my head round.

    On the other hand, though, the mockumentary style of the film gives it a great, almost parodic sense of humour. It’s not a rom-com parody, in the sense that it doesn’t attack the tropes and formula of the genre, but it’s more of a parody, or a mockery, of the predictable, natural way of things in the real world.

    Taking aim at the nature of romantic relationships in all their guises, the film uses science to demonstrate that all the ups and downs of a relationship are not only inevitable, but can be easily predicted. Of course, the majority of the coincidences and correlations between the science and the romance are engineered by the film’s clever screenplay, but I was really quite hooked by the way that the film was able to draw lines between the two, with even some of the more outlandish suggestions proving genuinely convincing.

    And that’s what really stands out about The Laws Of Thermodynamics. As a pure romantic comedy, there’s not much special about it. The majority of its emotional drama is far from engaging, and most of the jokes that happen in the world of the romance (not the mockumentary) aren’t that great.

    However, with a unique and very clever approach to telling an age-old story, the film proves strangely eye-opening, consistently surprising, and most of all genuinely entertaining throughout. It’s not a classic rom-com, but it is one that feels really refreshing in the midst of cinema’s most formulaic genre, and that’s why I’m giving The Laws Of Thermodynamics a 7.7 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    9.5
    Review
    January 12, 20130

    15. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy (2004)

    8.2
    Review
    May 13, 20200

    2954. Before Sunset (2004)

    8.0
    Review
    May 31, 20210

    3364. A Quiet Place Part II (2021)

    8.0
    Review
    April 17, 20160

    1323. Begin Again (2013)

    8.1
    Review
    February 22, 20140

    462. Filth (2013)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.