Algo Azul, now streaming on HBO Max, continues the streak of delightful Spanish rom-coms hitting some of the biggest streaming platforms out there. The film sees a nuptials-obsessed hotel employee abscond with a fancy wedding dress and get married that same day, encountering increasingly ridiculous situations as the day progresses. This flick from Panama pokes fun at the obsession with the “dream wedding” and the extreme lengths women are willing to go to in order to make them come true. We’re here to tell you if Algo Azul is worth saying “I do” to.
ALGO AZUL: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Ana (Elizabeth Grimaldo) is getting married in 8 days. She’s over the moon, emitting an unmistakable matrimonial glow as she glides through her commute to work. On this fateful day, she discovers her dress is ready for her to pick up, and she begs her best friend Natalia (Ana Alejandra Carrizo) to cover for her at work so she can go get it. Natalia reluctantly obliges, even as she expresses her doubts about Ana’s fiancé Marcos. Ana heads to the dress store, where she falls head over heels for her gown again, but has her bliss interrupted when charming ex-boyfriend Rodrigo (Carlos Torres) appears during her fitting. He’s there to visit his aunt, the store owner, and explains that the London scholarship that led to their breakup actually fell through and he’s been traveling and taking photos since. Ana is rocked by this news, but tries to remain unruffled as Rodrigo offers to be her wedding photographer.
On her way back to work, she realizes that she’s carrying the wrong dress. Ana tries to exchange with the woman she accidentally switched with, but her dress ends up roadkill, unsalvageable. She’s devastated, left with no other options and unsure of what to do, ignoring Natalia’s suggestion that this might be a sign not to marry Marcos. As luck would have it, celebrity Lucia de la Fuente is getting married at the hotel, and through a silly series of events, Ana ends up on the run wearing Lucia’s wedding dress, resolved to get married today. With Marcos looking for a way out and Rodrigo hot on Ana’s heels in the hopes of bringing her back to the hotel and getting her out of trouble, Ana soon learns that marital bliss and making her dream wedding happen might not be everything it’s chalked up to be.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Algo Azul may remind you a little of 27 Dresses, Maid in Manhattan, and License to Wed.
Performance Worth Watching: Robin Duran is a delight as Antonio, the hotel manager who does his best to run a tight ship, but can’t help but melt a little in the presence of Natalia. There’s a little sparkle hiding behind those glasses, a wink of mischief even as he tries to stay serious in the face of increasingly distressing incidents. The whole time the film wants us to follow Ana, you can’t help but wonder if Antonio and Natalia are going to give in to the tension between them. Duran’s comedic timing and strong screen presence is a big part of why Algo Azul works.
Memorable Dialogue: “The best thing about marriage is getting a divorce,” the old woman on the bus tells Ana, even as she continues smiling in matrimonial bliss.
Sex and Skin: None.
Our Take: My first – and perhaps largest – issue with Algo Azul is that it’s a movie about a woman stealing a wedding dress called Something Blue and not Something Borrowed. I assume this is because there’s already a romcom with that title, but still – it feels like such a missed opportunity. Problems with the silly title aside, Algo Azul is a frustrating romcom because it commits one of the genre’s biggest sins: not giving us a leading lady we can really root for. Ana is childish and a little crazy, making moves no sane adult would just to indulge her own fantasies. There’s certainly something to be said for a woman having her immature illusions about wedding and marriage shattered, but Ana is hard to watch, especially in a romcom as seemingly traditional as this one.
To Algo Azul‘s credit, Rodrigo is a dream, effortlessly filling the shoes of the guy Ana should be with instead of her shady, disinterested fiancé Marcos. He’s handsome and charming, an obvious pick for this kind of role; who wouldn’t want to end up with Rodrigo? That’s something we all can agree on. Algo Azul is best when it lets its supporting characters take over, from the hotel staff including Antonio and Natalia to the high maintenance celebrity Lucia de la Fuente. I really wanted to love Algo Azul, but its inconsistent sense of humor and lackluster leading lady left a lot to be desired.
Our Call: SKIP IT. While there are definitely some seeds of romcom greatness in Algo Azul, its protagonist is so hard to root for (and plot so outrageous) that it’s difficult to get truly invested.
Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.
