Not good enough

Sensing that his teen daughter is under some threat, a millionaire business tycoon gets a boy out of prison to protect her. Two young people forced together, one uber-rich and the other struggling with minimum wages, surely fall in love. But when did the course of true love ever run smooth? They too find complications arising rather soon, threatening to distance them from their loved ones.

So is the story of the Spanish drama ‘Bad Influence’, based on ‘Mala Influencia’ by Teensspirita aka Babe that went viral on Wattpad (a free social-storytelling platform where users can share, read and create original stories). It was published in the physical format in 2021.

A teen romance/thriller, this one has an extremely good-looking pair: Elea Rochera as Reese and Alberto Olmo as Eros. She’s all beauty and grace in her ballerina act. He’s rugged and ravishing, and they fit together. Though Reese considers the handsome hunk following her to school as ‘social suicide’, it turns out to be the opposite. Fer Fraga as the disgruntled ex and Mirela Balic as Peyton, Eros’ best friend, bring on the tension in the otherwise smooth love story and add the oomph factor, especially with the stunner Mirela. Enrique Arce as a rich but absent father Bruce gets by just fine.

High production quality and peppy Spanish beats in the background keep it interesting.

On the downside, the plot is super flimsy. Three parties in less than two hours sure enough give ample room to look fetching and insert sexcapades, but do little in terms of the growth of the characters.

It sure aims right by asking the valid question — who is a bad influence? The super-rich making money off the poor folk and crushing their dreams, or the orphan lot trying to build together a life, and a family? Payton draws comparisons on how rich girls despite having enough food starve to look skinny — it sure hits the point about two strikingly different worlds. But, alas, these two worlds stay apart. There is little more than the dialogues to show the divide.

Also, how the writers (the screenplay is by Chloe Wallace and Diana Muro) find no need to tell why Reese and Raul separated is a reflection on how shaky school romances are. Wallace presents a stunning spectacle on screen, and one wishes had worked as hard on the screenplay too.

The ending, however, is hopeful. ‘Bad Influence’ is strictly for youngsters invested in romance with ample skin show.

Movie Review