Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

    Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

    09/08/2025
    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

    09/08/2025
    Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

    Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

    09/05/2025
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘The Perfect Family’ is Not Perfect But Still Sweet

REVIEW: ‘The Perfect Family’ is Not Perfect But Still Sweet

Jason FlattBy Jason Flatt05/12/20223 Mins ReadUpdated:05/13/2022
The Perfect Family - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

The Perfect Family - But Why Tho

The Perfect Family is a Spanish-language Netflix Original directed by Arantxa Echevarría and written by Olatz Arroyo. When Pablo’s (Gonzalo Ramos) family meets Sara’s (Carolina Yuste) family, at first it’s a disaster. He comes from a posh, wealthy world and she comes from a world his parents would never even look at, let alone inhabit. But when they start to spend some time together, things begin to take a turn. Then they take a few more turns from there.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

This movie isn’t about Pablo and Sara. Their story is swell and all, but it’s really a vehicle for the true main character, Pablo’s mother, Lucía (Belén Rueda). She’s lived her whole life until this point playing out the perfect expectation of a loving wife and mother. Unfortunately, it’s led her to be totally unfulfilled otherwise. A perfect family is nice, but is it enough? When she meets Sara’s father, Miguel (Jose Coronado), her whole world changes. The movie is set in two acts, before Pablo and Sara’s wedding and after. While the first half is largely a setup for the second, it quickly becomes worth the wait as the payoff works better than I could have expected.

It’s one of those simple premises you think you know what you’re getting into from the start. A wealthy family meets a poor family, they hate each other at first but find commonality enough to get by and love each other. I actually almost didn’t bother watching it because I’ve grown tired of the number of these types of family-affair movies Netflix has put out recently. Fortunately, though, that’s not what this movie is at all. It’s not interested in making amends, reconciling differences, or putting the two families back into their perfect places by the end. It’s much more interested in exploring the messiness of love, family, and self-discovery that are what makes life actually interesting. People make up and happy things happen throughout, sure, but it’s about the journey more than anything.

The movie is also certifiably funny. Each character has their own specific wit or whim that had me cackling, even when it also left my eyes rolling from time to time. But that’s the nice thing about this type of movie; it’s predictable enough in its comedy and its pattern that it’s easy to watch but different enough that it’s worth the nearly two hours it takes to enjoy. I found myself surprised halfway through by how much there was still to go, but that was a completely tossed away thought by the end, as the two-act structure really feels like the perfect fit for the story it told. It would be totally acceptable to stop the movie at the midway point and pick it back up later like a two-episode affair without feeling like you’ve stopped it abruptly.

The Perfect Family is a simple movie with a far more nuanced direction and final ending point than its premise may first lead you to assume. Focusing on Lucía’s perspective and journey rather than the couple at hand makes for a far more interesting entry to the rom-com genre, assisted by an altogether quite funny and enjoyable cast.

The Perfect Family is streaming now on Netflix.

The Perfect Famil
  • 7.5/10
    Rating - 7.5/10
7.5/10

TL;DR

The Perfect Family is a simple movie with a far more nuanced direction and final ending point than its premise may first lead you to assume. Focusing on Lucía’s perspective and journey rather than the couple at hand makes for a far more interesting entry to the rom-com genre, assisted by an altogether quite funny and enjoyable cast.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘The Ignorant Angels’ Understands the Point of Love
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Young Justice: Phantoms,’ Episode 22 – “Rescue and Search”
Jason Flatt
  • X (Twitter)

Jason is the Sr. Editor at But Why Tho? and producer of the But Why Tho? Podcast. He's usually writing about foreign films, Jewish media, and summer camp.

Related Posts

The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

09/11/2025
Natasha O’Keeffe in Whitetail
6.5

TIFF 2025: ‘Whitetail’ Is An Intimate View Of A Woman Stuck In Time

09/10/2025
Love Brooklyn
6.0

REVIEW: ‘Love, Brooklyn’ Rests on Pretty

09/10/2025
Park Jeong-min in The Ugly
7.0

TIFF 2025: ‘The Ugly’ Is A Harsh Exercise In Self-Reflection

09/09/2025
No Other Choice
9.0

TIFF 2025: ‘No Other Choice’ Delivers a Bleak Vision of Capitalism

09/09/2025
Molly Lewis in Whistle
8.0

TIFF 2025: ‘Whistle’ Is A Breath Of Fresh Air

09/07/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

By Kate Sánchez09/11/2025Updated:09/11/2025

The Long Walk is a brutal watch. Equally heartfelt and heartbreaking, it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

EA Sports FC Icons Match promotional image from Nexon News

2025 Icons Match Returns With Football Legends Bridging The Pitch And Video Games

By Kate Sánchez09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

NEXON has announced the return of the ‘2025 Icons Match,’ a live event that brings a full roster of legendary players to the pitch.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11
8.5
Anime

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 11 – “Hey, It’s a Kaiju”

By Allyson Johnson09/11/2025

The ragtag group faces down the mysterious kaiju in the thrilling and beautifully animated DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here