I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
This movie is actually a Peruvian remake of a Mexican film called Hazlo Como Hombre, which I’ve reviewed before. One nice thing about watching so much stuff is that I eventually forget the details, so this didn't even feel like a repeat to me. It helped that the cast was new and the setting was different, but they definitely kept the same sense of humor from the original. We don't see a ton of LGBTQ+ stories coming out of Peru, so it was a nice change of pace to see them tackle this subject.
The story is about three childhood best friends—Raul, Eduardo, and Santiago—who have always lived that typical, "alpha male" lifestyle. Raul is about to be a dad, and Santi is actually dating Raul’s sister, though she’s been complaining that their sex life is pretty non-existent. Everything gets flipped upside down when Santi finally comes out as gay and breaks up with her. Raul’s sister goes into overdrive trying to win him back with some pretty hilarious (but useless) schemes. Meanwhile, Raul is a total homophobe and refuses to accept it, even trying to "fix" his friend through some crazy therapy sessions and unconventional methods. Santi eventually starts dating a guy named Julio and is ready to move to the US to get away from Raul’s constant judging. But right before he leaves, he finds out Julio wants an open relationship and changes his mind. Around the same time, Raul’s wife leaves him after finding out he’s been cheating, leaving him totally alone to realize what a mess he’s made. Eventually, he sees the error of his ways, apologizes, and the friends all make up.
Even though the subtitles on the version I watched weren't great, the movie was still really funny. A lot of that is thanks to the actor playing Raul; he plays the homophobic guy so well that it creates some genuinely hilarious moments, especially in the locker room and during those therapy sessions. I think the movie does a good job of poking fun at the strict ideas of "masculinity" that you see in places like Peru. You kind of have to take the movie for what it is and not get too hung up on what’s politically correct or judge the characters too harshly. It’s meant to be entertainment, but it also has a good message that might actually change the minds of people who think like Raul. My only real gripe is that the relationship between Santi and Julio felt a bit rushed—we never really saw how they met or why they fell for each other. But I get that the movie was more about the friendship and learning to be accepting than it was a romance.
It's a funny and lighthearted look at how friendship can survive even the most awkward changes, as long as people are willing to drop their prejudices. (6/10)
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