agmtw logo
search
Make Me Believe (2023)

Make Me Believe (2023)

Attractive stars and a cute premise don't make up for this romcom's lack of stakes and dramatic tension

5.0

Movie

Turkey
Turkish
Comedy, Romance
2023
EVREN KARABIYIK GÜNAYDIN, FEMALE DIRECTOR
Ayça Ayşin Turan, Çağrı Çıtanak, Ekin Koç
104 min

TLDR

What did journalism ever do to become the default profession in these disposable romcoms?

What it's about

A journalist discovers that the elusive photographer she hopes to interview is her childhood enemy and next-door-neighbor, whom their respective grandmothers are trying to set her up with.

The take

Seemingly engineered in a lab to appeal strictly to romantic comedy enthusiasts who are familiar with every trope, Make Me Believe is charming and enjoyable in the moment, but ultimately does little with its ingredients. The things that it gets right are pretty foolproof: beautiful Turkish locales, steamy PG-rated romance, and a good dose of humor from supporting characters who can see the spark of love even before the couple does. Unfortunately this is all window dressing for a story built on flimsy foundations. The protagonist's assignment to book an interview doesn't actually carry that much weight, which makes the risk of pursuing and/or seemingly betraying her childhood neighbor feel inconsequential. And when these two characters inevitably meet in the middle, their connection is unconvincing, draining the excitement out of everything that follows.

What stands out

The two grandmothers (played by Zerrin Sümer and Yildiz Kültür) who try to push their respective grandkids together are so much cuter and more interesting than this film deserves. It feels like there's a whole other film's worth of material in their mischievous schemes and innate youthfulness. It's a shame, then, that Make Me Believe consigns them to the background, never allowing them to become deeper characters—to the point that they just straight-up vanish throughout the second half of the film. In another world, we'd be getting an equally fun movie centered on how these two elderly ladies just want their grandkids to be friends again.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

My Old Ass (2024)

A pleasant mix of comedy and coming-of-age that may or may not leave you in tears

8.0

Being Julia (2004)

A middle age crisis leads to a star finding her spark in this insightful comedy

7.1

Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)

The blind swordsman makes his last stand in this action-packed, nostalgic conclusion

7.0

His Three Daughters (2024)

Three sisters deal with life and death in this moving family portrait

8.2

He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not (2002)

A unique romantic comedy that takes dark and unexpected turns

7.3

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)

Soulmates find each other through dance in this spectacular musical romance

7.0

Incendies (2011)

Part melodrama, part war thriller, Incendies is gorgeous and heartbreaking from the first scene

9.9

The Commitments (1991)

Before Sing Street, there was The Commitments, an Irish band of young hopefuls escaping grim reality with the joy and promise of music

8.6

Cold War (2018)

A quiet Polish masterpiece with ravishing music and dazzling visuals

9.2

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.