Reviews

I read a review from The Guardian which called the tv show cartoonish at times.

I understand that view but I believe this show deserves much more praise than it got. The "cartoonish" aspect, I believe, comes from its origin as a historical fiction novel. Personally, I loved the contrast between the idealized 1960s city (hairstyles, fashion, fun and liberated coworkers) and the dystopian reality of Fascism.

Watching this TV show in July of 2022 was chilling. I couldn't help but think of the parallels with today's resurgence of Fascism in many places of the world (and I believe the show mostly lets viewers make those connections by themselves).

Again, coming from a historial fiction novel, the ending is clear and satisfying. If you Google the main "villains" of the story, they were real people who actually only died relatively recently and seemed to have lived mostly unbothered lives in spite of everything they did. That along, in my view, justifies the importance of this tv show.

It portrays violence and sexism in a way that feels completely justified and in connection with the horrors of the Holocaust. It does not exploit the pains of being a woman in this world, rather it highlights that pain as well as it complexities-and specially the intersection between being a woman and Jewish.

I am glad I watched this show, I feel like I learned aspects of British history I didn't know, i was at once terrified of the world we live in and inspired.

Ok.... The title of my review is perhaps a bit mean. The script is conventional but good (not in any way worse than the majority of romcoms). I do like the decision to reverse traditional expectations about which one of the protagonists is the local and which one is the visitor. This is the kind of nuance that you only get when you support films written by people from different backgrounds.

The direction is seamless in spite of the constant movement and travel of the main characters, I imagine that was not easy to pull off. The portrayal of Hong Kong is exciting and inspiring. As someone who has not been to Asia it was definitely enjoyable and worth watching mostly as a fun way to "experience" another place. The actors have great chemistry. I was not particularly invested in their love story but I so appreciate having this window into a different place, which was very well executed.

Slow and hard to watch, it feels formulaic with gratuitous use of violence against women as central to the plot yet unexamined.

The performances are good.

The photography of this show is beyond gorgeous, as is the wardrobe. This will, of course, appeal to many viewers (including myself). I watched all episodes hoping the plot would move forward but it didn't.

There is a very clear villain which repeats the same words and actions episode after episode. (I understand that it's important to include the rise of fascism but I'm certain there are many, more complex, ways to do this).

All the young women basically exist as objects of the male gaze, the most problematic representation being that of the Italian maid who works at the hotel. Her characters barely speaks and she is basically as used and disrespected by the main lead as she is by the writers of the show.

All Italian characters are basically stereotypes (which reminds me of representations of Indian characters in British TV shows-this whole thing makes me wonder how much popular culture or the education system in Britain has reflected on its own construction of national identity).

The most palatable characters are the older women, but even them are not given the space and nuances one would want.

I believe the show wants us to root for the pairing of two characters, which -given the way the male lead has treated other women- is a difficult sell. The plot gets to a ridiculous point where four characters are all, one way or another, after the same guy.

This show would need very serious changes to be considered good. I recommend Danish show "Seaside hotel" (also set in the 1920s) which is a much more modest production with a bit more nuances.

This is a good show. I started watching expecting a comedy. I'm still in episode 1, the domestic violence is hard to watch and feels realistic in that way.

I really enjoyed this film and to be honest the romantic aspect was not even the most important aspect of it. Unlike most romcoms, the female lead's passion is actually believable and connected with the plot (most romcoms have a simple line where the lead claims to love fashion design, etc). The actress is incredibly charismatic and reminded me of lots of interesting women I have met in my life. She felt like more than a stereotype. The love for art as a means for healing, expression and specially oddness came through in the film. It felt refreshing and, again, I would have enjoyed this film just as much if it hadn't had a love story. I was really rooting for Lucy to open her gallery and succeed in the artistic world.

The film is quirky, lovable and feels authentic in ways that most romcoms can't accomplish. For a similar type of film, quirky, with strong female friendships and celebrating the very genuine love that young women can feel for art (or music), I recommend Mixtape (on Netflix).

As a woman, both films feel *refreshingly* respectful.

I'm halfway through the first episode. The dialogue feels stereotypical (in terms of sexuality-the way the gay character is represented, gender-women's main concern is getting a man and even in its portrayal of Latinx culture). The story is therefore very commonplace except with Latinx characters using Spanish words here and there in a way that will very conveniently be understandable to a mainstream audience (I'm Latina myself). Not on the level of rawness and realness of One Day at a Time, which I was expecting.

As another reviewer said, if this had been sold to me as a Hallmark-type movie with Latinx characters I think I would be much more pleased as my expectations would have been better adjusted.

It reminds me a lot of Mindy Kaling's Four Weddings... in the sense that it's a visually stunning tv show with a very conventionally attractive characters, an extremely conventional plot structure and a weird timing that feels slow and doesn't favor the jokes. Both shows are trying hard to be contemporary but lack any real-world authenticity in the portrayal of the characters.

Again, feel free to watch, expecting a hallmark or abc family (it does have some drama) type of tv show with very pretty people all looking for love. I might even continue watching with that mindset.

Fat children and teenagers can only leave this film feeling extremely hurt while thin ones will be encouraged to stay within the bounds of diet culture and eating disorders. Without a doubt, the entire bases of this film is that fat is the worst thing a person can be. I'm amazed it's even still available for rent on Amazon Prime.

Stereotypes about millennials, boomers, women... it doesn't really add any sort of funny perspective on anything. I watch the first half because I kept hoping it would get getter but it didn't.

Watching this brightened an otherwise monotonous day. It was a cathartic experience to hear the comedians list everything we lost in 2020, from small comforts to being able to GO ANYWHERE. I don't think I'd fully realize the vastness of the loss until I saw it in this comedy format. Of course, they also "grieve" the loss of things we can't wait to say goodbye to. This felt fresh, honest and real.

This was fun and entertaining and the plot centers on Orchard House. A lot of the events portrayed are based on the novel. The sisters' personalities are also well crafted. The casting was good.

The movie was a better than other adaptations I've seen.