Everybody Loves Somebody

Writer-director Catalina Aguilar Mastretta's romantic comedy focuses on Clara (Karla Souza), a Los Angeles doctor with a successful career but a dismal love life. When her parents decide to belatedly marry after 40 years of an unofficial union, Clara is invited to a family gathering in Mexico, and she convinces Australian co-worker Asher (Ben O'Toole) to join her and pretend to be her boyfriend. To Clara's surprise, a former lover (José María Yazpik) turns up and tries to reanimate the flame. And if that's not enough, Clara and Asher discover that their make-believe relationship might have some real-life sparks. To the filmmaker's credit, Everybody Loves Somebody portrays a Mexican-American middle-class culture without dipping into telenovela stereotypes—the characters are complex, often funny, and very appealing (and the shifts between English and Spanish dialogue are seamless)—and the beautiful cinematography takes full advantage of the Baja locations. But while the actors try their best to be charismatic yet vulnerable, they are also ultimately manacled to a screenplay that eventually becomes predictable. Still, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. (P. Hall)