Um Namorado para Minha Esposa

In Buenos Aires, the smalltime merchant Diego "Tenso" Polsky (Adrián Suar) has a boring life with his unpleasant wife Andrea "Tana" Ferro (Valeria Bertuccelli), who is constantly in a bad mood. Tenso does not have courage to leave his wife, so his friend Carlos (Marcelo Xicarte) suggests him to force his wife to divorce him. They meet the womanizer Cuervo Flores (Gabriel Goity) and Tenso hires him to seduce his wife and gets a job for her in a small radio station.

Tana changes her behavior and her temper dating Flores and working in the radio station and her show becomes a hit. Meanwhile Tenso fall in love with her again but it is too late to keep their marriage.

"Un Novio para Mi Mujer" is a romantic drama wrongly labeled of romantic comedy. The story is original, but Adrián Suar and Gabriel Goity are miscast: Adrián Suar's character is a clumsy and unattractive man and Gabriel Goity's character does not have the look of a seducer. Tenso is a loser that does not deserve Tana, but the conclusion with an open end is perfect for the story. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Um Namorado Para Minha Esposa" ("A Boyfriend for My Wife")

Slow-paced by American Standards romantic comedy has its charms. Plot is basic. Man is married. Man no longer feels happy in marriage. Man wants out. Man finds a man to woo his wife away. Thus the English translation, A boyfriend for my wife. Surprisingly low key since the title professes to offer buffoonery but instead gives you a Tootsie style of comedy. Actors play it low-key and very real and one will be forgiven if they forget that they are watching a comedy considering the lead actress is so good at playing a bitch. In fact, without her performance, the movie would not work. We've seen this movie before. It offers no shockers but a sweet ending that is well-handled and a screenplay that is not forced even though you know the beats a makes it a pleasurable diversion. This continues a good tradition of Argentine cinema and its obsession with honesty and reality over extravagant fiction/unreality in terms of tone, direction and staging of scenes.

This film starts as a comedy but it gets complex enough to stop laughing. The plot is very simple, the development of the characters is so natural, nothing is forced. The movie is better than I expected, I just fell in love with some scenes, the camera shots and the camera movements, the symmetry in the photography. There are not unnecessary camera shots, showing unnecessary perspectives for the understanding of the film. You know, Hollywood easy-made films use lots of silly changing camera shots that lots of times makes the film to lose its magic.

I might written in a weird English, but I saw the film was not over 7 and reading reviews it felt weird that nobody liked enough the photography to mention it. So I do. I Hope someone else could enjoy it.

This film beautifully captures the characteristic atmosphere often found in Argentine movies-inviting and nostalgic, as if you're reliving familiar moments. As an Argentine film can't be missing cursing, which adds a touch of hilarity. While the storyline can be a little bit cliché, so you can guess how's going to end, the photography it's quite remarking, so it an engaging watch for those seeking casual entertainment.

When it comes to the characters, Tana it's a misunderstood wife and Tenso's is a simple man. I don't usually like open finals but no doubt this was a good end for this film and for this story.