Smiley is a Spanish rom-com series directed by David Martín Porras and Marta Pahissa. Starring Carlos Cuevas and Miki Esparbé, the series spins around the life of two hopeless romantics, Bruno and Alex, who always get failed by their partners. The movie bags in significant supporting actors who are, Pepón Nieto, Meritxell Calvo, Giannina Fruttero, Eduardo Lloveras, Ruth Llopis, Ramon Pujol, Brian McGovern, Carlos Noriega and Yasmina Drissi. The series consists of 8 episodes, each focusing on the lives of all the actors, and their struggles with individuality and love.
The official Netflix description reads: “Tired of getting dumped and disappointed by Grindr dates, Álex and Bruno are two very different men both looking for someone they can’t seem to find – until a misdialed phone call sends them head over heels into a love story neither one saw coming.” So, do they find the love they all yearned for? Did the wrong number catch feelings? Is destiny just a hoax? Read on as I break down the series and let you know why I’d say this series is exemplary.
– No Spoilers –
Smiley Review
How Does It All Start?
Our handsome boy Alex has a history of dating and being dumped after sex. Is he bad at sex? Absolutely not, but he is too innocent and pretty for the men to stay loyal to him. Heartbroken, Alex finally finds a guy called Lola and believes he is the one, but what happens? He turns out to be the same. As a result, Alex sends a long voicemail yelling at Lola, and unexpectedly, it gets sent to the wrong number, which belongs to Bruno.
Bruno, on the other hand, is a smart and intelligent architect who believes he isn’t attractive. Oh boy, little does he know. Bruno, just like Alex, also gets dumped by his boyfriends because they find him nerdy. Bruno calls Alex one night to let him know that he isn’t the guy he sent the voicemail to, and that’s when their first vibe connects.
The Significance of a Smiley and Red Thread
We all know the Japanese story about a red thread that connects two people, right? If not, look it up on the internet or watch the show. Bruno explains the “red thread” story to Alex, and Alex completely regards it as a myth. The concept of “the red thread” plays a huge significance throughout the series, and I got goosebumps when the end portrayed it so beautifully. Another main aspect of this series is the annoying smiley. I hate that smiley emoji, guys. Is that tiny yellow blob genuinely smiling, or is it pissed? Who knows.
But surprisingly, this series showed the other perspective of that particular emoji. Both the protagonists like it and have different views about it. It also makes the viewers realize how unique people are and that not everyone needs to understand them. You see, what you consider normal does not have to be the same for others. That said, let’s dive into the LGBT+ aspect of this series that screams, “I love the way I am.”
Love is Love No Matter Who You Are
I bawled my eyes out whenever good things happened to all the actors and their relationships. Alex and Bruno are gay, and their elements are presented wonderfully. Alex has a loving mother who supports his son’s sexuality. Whereas Bruno has his best friend Albert, who, along with his wife and kids, showers Bruno with love. Then we see our Vero and Patricia couple, who represent the lives of lesbians who try to explore open relationships.
Then, there is the story of our 55-year-old Javier finding his soul mate, Ramiro. Ah, the couples and their lives are eccentric because everyone’s love story has its own special sauce. It’s not the same, and it’s not necessarily relatable to every viewer. It has been portrayed to show everyone’s individuality and their take on finding their love.
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The Impact of Smiley’s Supporting Actors
Even if Alex and Bruno are the lead characters, their plot cannot be built without the supporting roles. Let’s talk about Alex. Alex’s dilemma arises due to Ibra. Ibra is a hot young man who likes to hook up casually, but something about Alex strikes him. Then we have Vero, Alex’s best friend. She and her wise words always work out, and even when her relationship is crippling, she tries to work things out for Alex. Speaking of Alex’s mother, Rosa, her supportive nature, and her relationship with Ramiro (who is the friend of her late husband Juan) carry Alex’s revelation.
In Bruno’s story, Albert plays a major role as he keeps checking on Bruno despite losing his cool with his wife and children. Then we have Ramon, Bruno’s colleague, who is head over heels for him. When they try a relationship out, Bruno realizes what he really wants. We also see people on Alex’s side affecting Bruno, such as Ibra and Vero.
Smiley Supporting Characters Analysis: They Took My Breath Away
From hairstyles to outfits, every character exhibited a fresh outlook. Vero is a sweetheart, but after getting kicked out of her home for being lesbian, her arduous working nature makes her relentless. Her tomboy attire, her attitude, and the way she chases her dream are well presented. Patricia, who is Vero’s lover, looks badass but is deeply sensitive. Coming from a conservative family, Patricia dreams of a perfect couple’s life. Do things work out for them? Watch and find out.
Then we have Rosa, Ramiro, and Javier. Rosa and Ramiro are long-lost best friends, but Rosa believes Ramiro has always had feelings for her. That’s when the twist acts out. After finding out the truth, Ramiro seeks out Javier, the drag queen and comedian of Bar Bero (the bar run by Vero and Alex). Javier is an old pal who finds it hard to find a man to love, and to his surprise, after certain barriers, things work out.
When it comes to their nature, Rosa is a kind single parent who doesn’t want anyone to be alone. Ramiro feels lost as he has no family to claim. Javier has his friends, but he runs his life by lifting happy couples while he crumbles. I liked how, after Rosa and Ramiro have settled their differences, Javier and Ramiro seek each other out. Trust me, this storyline affects Alex and Bruno greatly. It isn’t an unnecessary side story.
Ramon and Ibra are two important characters who shape Bruno and Alex. Ramon is a talented and kind architect who tries his best to make Bruno love him. Ramon’s happy vibe and his efforts were beautifully shown, but he did not see the signs yet and tried hard for Bruno. Ibra, who is a macho man, denies dating at first and then all of a sudden raises his bar. Yes, people change and realize things later, but in Ibra’s life, you decide whether it is soon or late. Initially, I disliked him, but after he opened up about his story, I realized he wasn’t really a bad guy. He just set boundaries.
Next up is my favourite couple, Albert and Núria. You might wonder if I like them the most because they’re heterosexuals. Ah-uh, nah. They’re great because they’re relatable and will set a good example for parents. Albert is extremely humorous, and he loves to paint. But he sacrifices his passion for Nuria and works at his father-in-law’s company. Day by day, his agonies grow because he wants to live a free life with his wife and children. On the other hand, Nuria loves to cook but struggles to do it because she needs to take care of the children. This leads Albert and Nuria to fight like crazy.
Here’s the part that I love about them: Parents fight, and they can ruin the children’s lives. But, when Albert and Nuria somehow find out who they are, thanks to Bruno, they chuck everything and try to live a beautiful life for both their sake and the children’s sake. I had happy tears flowing when Albert confessed once again to Nuria and brought back the lost love. They set a strong example that it is never too late to enjoy love and be good parents.
Other supporting characters include Albert’s father-in-law, who exerts toxic authority over his son-in-law; Vero’s friend, who causes a major squabble between Vero and Patricia as a result of their involvement in a threesome; Rosa’s best friend and colleague who tries her hardest to keep Rosa from being hurt again; and Bruno’s colleagues and the Albert family’s nanny. They all, at one point, played a key role in uplifting each character’s life, and it was visible.
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Editing and Cinematography
The entire series is set around Christmas and New Year’s. The Christmas trees, decorations, parties, and Thanksgiving dinners were naturally posed in the drama without stuffing them. Even the Thanksgiving scene is important because Patricia encounters a life-changing situation. I am a fan of colour grading, and whenever I watch movies or series, I look at how the colourist has worked. In Smiley, the editing crew did splendid work because, just like the series’ genre, the colours were romantic and bright.
There were scenes where some characters in the series were shown in the Grindr App, and it was well done with a bright yellow background and tiny app icons next to them. One interesting feature was the split screen. The split-screen effect showing Alex and Bruno simultaneously worked really well because their dialogues aligned and merged perfectly. In terms of cinematography, the locations were nicely chosen and shown. The places weren’t clumsy, and the angles weren’t bad. I enjoyed the series’ editing and cinematography because it kept me interested in finding out what’s coming next.
Smiley Has Got The Steamy Scenes
I gotta tell you this, I love erotic stuff. I am indeed a fan of it, and I won’t watch it if it feels irrelevant, like 365 Days (sorry, not sorry). You can expect a lot of sex scenes in this series, and they’re shown at the appropriate times. I don’t feel like the steamy sex scenes are bait for the viewers to watch. In fact, the meaning and importance of sex were nicely shown because that’s exactly why Alex, Bruno, or any other character bonded and also got hurt by it.
I laughed at one scene where Bruno is babbling about his sad life, and the split-screen effect appears, showing two people making intense love. Okay, be honest. Would you really be looking at Bruno yapping and complaining or at the couple who are going in for it? You tell me because I ain’t ready to believe if you lie.
Comedy and Music
Javier is the key to comedy and music. Every night at Bar Bero, Javier dresses up as a drag queen and pulls in wonderful jokes and meaningful ones, pointing at the gay couples in the bar. He also sings wonderful Spanish songs, which added essence to the series. Apart from that, there were music elements to show the emotions of the characters, and that’s a +1. But there wasn’t any one particular song that captivated me. Well, it’s not really a bad thing because this isn’t a musical series, but usually, I do pick out a song from every movie or series.
Smiley Final Verdict: Everything is Connected
I am a believer, and I believe that we are all connected. There is definitely something glorious above us that writes each one of our life stories iconically. In Smiley, I felt it. In the end, there will be a lot of “wow” moments because things start to connect, and it will feel like, from the beginning, everything was meant to be. Be it the red string theory or the smiley emoji, they all made sense, and they denoted that destiny exists, and it comes into each one of our lives in a dramatic way. Love is a drama queen, mate.
Honestly, the series deserves a 5/5 but technically, I feel they could have shown more of Ibra and Ramon’s story, and the soundtracks could have been appealing. Stream the series on Netflix.