'The Simplest Thing Is to Complicate Everything' - Review (Netflix)

Upper-middle-class Renata (Danna Paola) has been in love with Leo (Alosian Vivancos) all of her life. Her brother, Oscar (Eduardo Tanus) is Leo’s best friend and work colleague. Renata has the raging hormones of a seventeen-year-old girl/young woman coursing through her, as well as having an extremely fertile imagination.

She is convinced that she and Leo are destined to be together. Renata picks up her best friend, Valeria (Daniela Wong) and others, as they go to school on their last day. Renata tells Valeria that she plans to get together with Leo and that she knows they are meant to be together.

Tragedy, in her mind, strikes, when she finds out Leo has a girlfriend. She tells Valeria about it. The woman’s name is Susana Montero (Majorie De Sousa). Valeria knows her and has nothing but good things to say about her. Renata is convinced she is a bitch.

Renata sees her chance to get with Leo when her parents allow her to go on vacation with Valeria, as long as Oscar goes with her. He always travels with Leo, so she knows he will be there. His girlfriend is not coming because she is too busy. The holiday is at Puerto Vallarta, an all-inclusive beach resort in Mexico.

Her mother has a talk with her, reminding her to tell her brother to take the time off of work, otherwise, she will not let her go, during the conversation, the subject of Leo comes up.

Her mother had always seen Leo as a bit flighty, changing girlfriends all the time, never wanting to settle down, not at least, until he met Susana. Now, she hears, he is getting married. This news comes as a bombshell to Renata.

Renata goes to the museum to find inspiration for a plan to get Leo back. She meets goth, Chantal (Paulina Matos), who tells her that she needs to tell Leo how she feels. They get to the resort and an excited Leo grabs Renata. She mistakenly thinks her luck is changing, but is immediately crushed when he tells her his girlfriend, Susana is coming.

Leo tells her that he will introduce them to one another at dinner. Renata plans to look amazing, in the hope of intimidating the incoming Susana. A confident Renata tells Valeria to allow her to go and meet the couple ahead of her, so as they can both appreciate how magnificent she is. She has the wind taken out of her sails when she lays eyes on Susana. Susana is beautiful, a goddess.

Renata tries to avoid her, making up excuses not be around the couple. She gets an idea to split them up when she sees a couple arguing. Her plan works and Susana leaves the resort. Renata is initially happy, but soon begins to feel guilty. Though when she is confronted by her mother, she still lies and tells her that Valeria is pregnant.

Renata confesses her love to Leo. He tells her that he sees her as his sister and though he loves her, he is not in love with her. He loves Susana. She confesses that she planned the breakup. Leo goes to Susana, but she refuses to see him because of his lack of trust.

Renata sees Chantal again. Chantal tells her that if she loves Leo, she should fix the situation. Renata goes to see Susana and pleads with her to get back with Leo. Susana reluctantly agrees to see him. They get back together.

Leo and Susana get married and everybody attends. Renata meets someone at the wedding. The end.

Los Más Sencillo es Complicarlo Todo or The Simplest Thing is to Complicate Everything, in English, is a hit and miss film. Starring the luminous Danna Paola, who, as Renata, breaks the fourth wall and employs voiceover to tell the story, the film is a rom-com that is low on romance and comedy.

Paola’s Renata is only likeable because she is pretty. In reality, she is a spoilt brat, who is used to getting whatever she wants. The film is somewhat underwritten in terms of story, with a lot of the creativity going to scenes related to Renata’s fertile imagination.

With the exception of Daniela Wong’s Valeria and Alosian Vivancos’ Leo, every other character is woefully underserved, mere caricatures of their characters. Written and directed by Rene Bueno, the film does have some good scenes and some witty dialogue, but the telling of the story, with scenes devoted to Renata’s imaginings, is in parts, haphazard.

The central story of a teenage girl infatuated with a grown man is one that has definitely been better served, though not necessarily as the driving story in a film. It seems more suited to Shakespearean times than the twenty-first century and, truthfully, does not entertain in the way that a similar and much better film, Clueless, did in 1995.

The fact that the film is written by a man, who's own teenage years seem a long way behind him, also does not probably help. Los Más Sencillo es Complicarlo Todo scores a paltry three point six on IMDB.

Whilst it is not a great film, the low score is overly harsh. It is probably around a five or even five point five, so still not good, but not in the threes. At ninety-three minutes long, it is not an overly lengthy film, but you could probably waste your time on a better film.