Smiley

I expected yet another banal, predictable gay rom-com. And while some of the plot is predictable, there is so much more character development than most gay rom-coms that I binged watched the entire series in two sittings. The writing is clever, the acting is very good, and the characters are multi-dimensional.

I enjoyed the many different ways the film explores relationships and people's yearning for love, despite their ages and sexual proclivities. While each character's foibles complicate their searches for love, ultimately their journeys lead them to where they should be.

If you're looking just for eye candy, you can find that here, too. And Barcelona itself is one of the stars.

I found Bros probably one of the most self indulgent actor/writer projects of recent years, and understand why it bombed as a rom com. Smiley, on the other hand succeeds with characters you want to follow on their romantic journeys through all the episodes! I enjoyed how it was an ensemble, so rather than a focus on just the leads, you can enjoy the supporting players performances and storylines. The chemistry between the two leads, was undeniable (something a project like Bros failed on miserably), and you find yourself rooting for them to find what they are looking for in the end. I won't reveal any spoilers, but I was wondering while watching how they came up with the title, and was pleasantly surprised with the reveal at the end. I think American writers and producers, disappointed by the failure of Bros, should applaud and appreciate how this Spanish production did it right and exceeded expectations for a male/male rom com.

Finally, I saw a film in which there is no negativity, wars and militarism, dull people who are tired of themselves. Here, gays and lesbians are no different from anyone - everyone communicates with everyone about their innermost dreams and desires. People live, resting from the imposed stereotypes of "right" and "wrong". The film shows life as it should be in a civilized society. All people equally empathize with each other and just live their lives. This is the essence of the film - no one hides their feelings from anyone and does not impose them on others. Imaginary hypocritical tolerance has been replaced by ordinary life, everyone has the right to their own life, if this does not interfere with other people's lives. Life is Beautiful and amazing. Real life is always devoid of stereotypes.

So much average terrible gay themed content being churned out on streaming services that I had very low expectations when this popped up on the Netflix homepage. So what a pleasant surprise. It was really great to find this just before year end and it demonstrates how gay doesn't need to be cheap and laughs don't need to be cheap either love can be gay feminine masculine queer straight and transcend age and demographics. Didn't try too hard to be anything but tight clean entertaining and made for Netflix to series binging. Spanish language content is so much better than English language nowadays,

Even if you're not in love with all of the characters... you can definitely find a few to love in this passionate, smart, and yes, sometimes a little maddening series. Carlos Cuevas is so sexy and such a joy to watch in anything. I dare you not to fall in love with him. Or....how about just finding someone to love in this show and enjoy. Perfect for the holidays.

The original spanish is the best...however if that's not possible it's still very much worth it.

Love being able to see shows from Spain that are done so well. Merlí was also an excellent series. I hope we'll get a second season and a third, and a....