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A una isla de ti (Spanish) [An Island Away From You]

By Golu
This rom com had real potential but just doesn't cash in on it. The idea on paper sounds fun and had the makings of a genuinely funny film, but it just never gets there. It settles for doing just enough to keep you watching without ever really going for anything bold or memorable. Even the central romance ends up feeling pretty flat. Harry's a chef living in London who gets left at the altar on his own wedding day. Devastated, his best friend Yaiza, who's originally from the Canary Islands, whisks him away there for a getaway. Once they land, Yaiza discovers her friends have committed to hosting a wedding event that could really boost their business, except they don't have anyone lined up to cook for it. Harry offers to step in as the chef, figuring it'll help distract him from thinking about his ex. One night he gets pretty drunk and nearly drowns in the ocean, only to get rescued by this incredibly good looking stranger. The two of them kiss right there, and then ...
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A una isla de ti (Spanish) [An Island Away From You]

By Golu

This rom com had real potential but just doesn't cash in on it. The idea on paper sounds fun and had the makings of a genuinely funny film, but it just never gets there. It settles for doing just enough to keep you watching without ever really going for anything bold or memorable. Even the central romance ends up feeling pretty flat.

Harry's a chef living in London who gets left at the altar on his own wedding day. Devastated, his best friend Yaiza, who's originally from the Canary Islands, whisks him away there for a getaway. Once they land, Yaiza discovers her friends have committed to hosting a wedding event that could really boost their business, except they don't have anyone lined up to cook for it. Harry offers to step in as the chef, figuring it'll help distract him from thinking about his ex. One night he gets pretty drunk and nearly drowns in the ocean, only to get rescued by this incredibly good looking stranger. The two of them kiss right there, and then Yaiza shows up and finds Harry on the beach, bringing him back to her family home, where her mom, who's wonderfully eccentric, runs some kind of resort, and her dad Ivan pitches in occasionally as a fisherman. It turns out Ivan's actually the mystery guy who pulled Harry out of the water. They talk it through and agree the kiss was a mistake, nothing more. For the wedding, the brides want Harry to cook traditional local dishes, so Yaiza suggests he take some cooking lessons from her dad since he's an excellent chef. Reluctantly, and mostly because he cares about Yaiza, Harry agrees, and the two men slowly start setting aside their awkwardness and getting closer. Harry finds himself falling for the island itself, its people, its culture, and eventually for Ivan too. When Yaiza eventually finds out what's going on, she's stunned at first but comes around to it in time. Some drama kicks in once Ivan realizes Harry's supposed to head back to London soon, but in true rom com fashion, love wins out in the end.

Honestly this feels less like a movie and more like a glossy ad for the Canary Islands, a feel good escape built around showing off the culture, the scenery, and the food. The core idea's sweet but really easy to see coming from a mile away. You're supposed to buy that Harry falls for his best friend's dad, and I guess it works because Ivan's genuinely charming, plus he's not exactly old either, since Yaiza was born when her parents were only twenty. The romance is believable enough, but it's built on some pretty convenient plot turns. There's just not a lot of actual tension or conflict in how things develop between Harry and Ivan. Ivan's bisexual but seems uneasy about being open about it, and with Harry still reeling from heartbreak, you've got to wonder if this is really the right moment for him to jump into something new. But, given how sexy and rough and manly Ivan is, I do not blame Harry. Like I said, the writing never manages to rise above being a pretty average rom com. There was room here to make something way more fun and unexpected, but instead it just plays out like a tourism ad for the islands. The mom's storyline is meant to bring some comic relief with her wild stories, but that didn't really land for me either. The cast all do a solid enough job across the board. It's not a bad film exactly, it's just not one you'll remember, which is kind of a bummer considering how much more it could've been.

Bottom line, charming setting, forgettable execution, a rom com that plays it too safe. (5.5/10)

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