The World of Movies: So Much Love to Give
Written by Rachael Crawley
The World of Movies is a series that explores global cinema, drawing on films from many countries, industries and eras. This week, we follow a family in Argentina – or is it just one?
So Much Love to Give.
May contain spoilers.
When protagonist Fernando declares that his heart is “capable of much more love than anyone else’s”, the viewer might be forgiven for thinking that this is a good thing. As it turns out, he means that he likes to share his affections – and share he certainly does.
So Much Love to Give (or Corazón Loco, Marcos Carnavale, 2020), tells the story of a man with two families – in different cities to boot. In addition to maintaining two positions as a doctor, he splits his time between the households, describing each wife as his “perfect match”. Weekdays are spent in Mar del Plata, and weekends in Buenos Aires (a distance of about 400 kilometres), with both wives apparently unaware. (Don’t think too closely about how he has kept up the ruse for nine years, or even has the energy – the plot holes are pretty large.)
When Fernando’s Mar del Plata wife surprises him in Buenos Aires, he tries to keep up the deception, even when both women are in the same room. This segues into the classic “two dates in one night” plot. Though they are nothing new, the series of missed encounters before the reveal are amusing. The tone is kept light, buoyed by an appropriately upbeat soundtrack, and the evening swerves in a new direction – rather dramatically - before it can start to drag.
So Much Love to Give.
Just as the deception begins to stretch credibility beyond the plausible, Fernando’s story starts to crack. The two wives inevitably find out. From here, the movie focuses on them. After a fun buildup, this section doesn’t work as well. I found the humour very overplayed and the wives a bit underdeveloped in character. This applies more to Vera, of Buenos Aires, than Mar del Plata’s Paula, who is given more screen time to work with. Eventually, the story devolves into silly (even dangerous) pranks and gross-out humour. It’s disappointing when compared to a fun first half. The team-up between the wives has potential, but there’s little substance to it.
While the protagonist is apparently meant to be a loveable rogue – and Adrián Suar, who co-wrote the movie, plays him very well – the script has him do certain things, right off the bat, that drain any sympathy viewers might have for him. While he is never meant to be in the right, there should be at least some relatability. Some of his actions seem too serious for the tone of this movie. Overall, most of the characters could have been slightly dialed back, their behaviour a little less destructive. No one comes off as particularly clever or good.
There are some genuinely funny bits, and the performances are quite capable. Generally, the movie’s pacing holds up – it doesn’t tend to dwell on particular scenes or plot threads. Even though there are many clichés, the first half is easy to like. If the second half had been stronger, and the characters more nuanced, I think this movie could be a lot of fun. Instead, So Much Love to Give simply falls apart.
Rachael Crawley holds a Master's Degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, and has worked with film in Canada and in Europe. She adores language and cinema, and how these subjects interact with each other.