In Other Words

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

True Andrews (Bryan McClure) is an awkward but brilliant app developer with more issues than Vanity Fair magazine in this quirky romantic comedy from writer Cristina Nava and director Patrick Perez Vidauri. This writer-director duo previously worked together on the critically acclaimed 2013 feature Lola’s Love Shack and bring the same level of over-the-top, irreverent comedy to In Other Words. As far as romantic comedies go, this is a formulaic popcorn flick that subverts the standard dorky girl meets prince charming trope by making its male protagonist the dorky, phobia-riddled recipient of a hot chick’s affection. In Other Words is not groundbreaking or entirely original, but its diverse, talented cast and clever writing make it the perfect weekend watch.

True Andrews is not great with women. In fact, he’s terrible with them. As the brains behind a matchmaking application, True has trouble connecting with women beyond the mobile screen. He tests the application’s algorithm using himself as a guinea pig, second guessing its functionality every time he matches with a beautiful woman. His business partners Kiki (Joe Nunez) and Benny (Rishi Arya) do little to quell True’s raging insecurities, but together the trio manage to get an investor for their app. Their success takes them to Mexico where True matches with a woman. He finally decides to take the plunge and not sabotage himself, only to realize that he forgot to program a language attribute within the app.

Angelica (Natasha Esca), the girl of True’s dreams, is willing to date him though they remain separated by a language barrier. Growing frustrated by the courting process, True enlists new friend and line cook Karina (Edy Ganem) to secretly translate for him and Angelica – so their connection can grow free of the restrictions of their languages. As True’s friendship with Karina evolves, and his relationship with heiress Angelica progresses, True begins to second-guess his app – inserting a wedge between himself and his business partners. These relationships intersect, intermingle and separate creating lush ground for delicious drama and scandal…the best parts of any romantic comedy! Yes, it sounds like there’s a lot going on in the movie, but the pacing is tight and the writing is straightforward enough to avoid plot overcrowding, despite some scenes that drag on just a little too long.

This movie is charming. It’s not going to be deemed a classic or even great, but there’s something refreshing about the way it reverses typical rom-com gender roles and the diversity of the cast is something we rarely see in the mainstream. The chemistry between the actors is strong throughout, but the standout performance really go to Bryan McClure and Edy Ganem, who dish out both one-liners and babbling run-on sentences with endearing and convincing delivery. There’s even a minor role in the film for comedy veteran Chris Kattan, but honestly the rest of the core cast eclipse his performance in terms of talent, likability and humor. In Other Words doesn’t need big names or obnoxious overacting to get the job done – the cast is good enough to warm hearts and create laugh lines.

Sure, there are a few jokes that fall flat – and even ones that are surprising coming from a female screenwriter, but they’re easy to forget in the grand scheme of the movie. At its heart, In Other Words is clearly a labor of love, featuring an unlikely love story. It is a great date night pick, especially if you’re looking for something to escape into – one that won’t make you feel anything but amused and hopeful that even the most socially hopeless of us can find “true” love.