The Most Beautiful Girl in the World Review: Cute Relationship, Simple Concept

In this Indonesian rom-com, a rich playboy and the sole heir to a media mogul finds himself in a bind when his dying father stipulates that he must marry the most beautiful girl in the world in order to inherit everything. Once he sees his father’s obsession with ratings and dating game shows as silly, he must now do everything he can to secure his inheritance but comes across something much more interesting.

The movie has a runtime of 122 minutes.

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World Review

What is life for Asians if not pressured by their parents to settle down after a while? The Most Beautiful Girl in the World follows a similar vein and starts off with Reuben getting chastised by his father for having multiple affairs with different women. He is directed to settle down and right after he meets the ever-annoyed Kiara. Both of these people are good at what they do, but are stuck somewhere they are not happy about. Of course, a shocking twist throws Reuben’s life into disarray and Kiara’s cynicism humbles him in more ways than one.

This movie’s central premise is a bit insane, but nothing that Asian movies from different countries haven’t brought forth already. I grew up watching Bollywood movies so Reuben’s father asking him to marry “the most beautiful woman in the world” within 6 months, decided by a committee, isn’t the most out-there idea in the world. With Valentine’s Day filling the air with hearts and whatnot, moreover, the silly idea feels a bit more palatable and more forgiving.

I think the slow build-up between Reuben and Kiara is really sweet. There’s a tension in the air between the two. They are constantly bickering and trying to one-up each other but there’s something very organic and funny there that viewers cannot ignore. It’s clear that there’s something between the two and when it finally happens (because obviously), it feels like a win. These two feel like a breath of fresh air, even though the situation and the story itself are quite cliched. The enemies-to-lovers story is nothing new, but I think it’s always fun to watch something like this unfold, especially when the actors have good chemistry with one another.

Along with the romantic angle, there’s the personal lives of the two protagonists which also adds a layer to the characters. I think the movie does a good job of showcasing why the characters are who they are now. It’s also interesting to watch the changes that the otherwise misogynistic reality show goes through in order to become more attuned to the times. The film brings forth the problems surrounding these reality TV shows that often showcase people fighting with each other to score a “relationship”. It’s all done for ratings and is mostly in such bad taste. I liked how they tried to bring a change to the genre — our protagonists spend quite a lot of time perfecting the idea of what this should be and whom they want to target.

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I think Reza Rahadian, is really good in his role. We mostly follow his quest to find a soulmate and slowly fall for the “wrong” girl and his confusion and apprehension in this sphere is so warm and funny that in spite of being a “spoilt brat” he comes off as relatable and sweet. On the other hand, Kiara is more of a mysterious entity in this film and we don’t learn much about her. Eventually, things do come to light, but regardless, Rahadian and Dara Aisha are too cute to not root for.

However, I will say that the film takes too long to get to the point. I think the slow-burn romance could’ve gone just a little faster in order to not bog the runtime down too much. It’s not boring per se, but it definitely does make you wonder why we are still at a particular point instead of moving forward. Moreover, I also found the twist in the middle extremely excessive and reminded me of Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai a bit too much. The office romance part was cute, but it goes overboard eventually. The movie leaves a lot of things unanswered which is also very annoying.

Final Thoughts

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World has its cute moments and Reza Rahadian & Sheila Dara Aisha are really likeable as characters. But the story becomes a bit convoluted in the end. Is it still cute and dramatic? Sure. But it’s a forgettable Valentine’s Day watch at most.

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