The Great Seduction
A fishing town reels in a doctor in this sweet comedy
Guillermo Villegas and Pierre Louis go fishing for a doctor in The Great Seduction.
The island of Santa María del Mar was never a grand metropolis. The people lead quiet lives, fishing and enjoying time with family. No one was rich, but the villagers were happy to trade extravagant lifestyles for quality time with friends and relatives.
Then, the fish processing plant opened in the next island over.
Now, there’s barely any fish in the waters and the people of Santa María have two choices: Leave to seek their fortunes elsewhere, or stay and collect an unemployment check from the Mexican government. Germán (Guillermo Villegas) chooses to stay. Every week he collects his unemployment check, cashes it at the small bank, and dreams of ways to rebuild his beloved hometown. It’s hard to keep the faith, however, when everyone he loves leaves Santa María. The town’s population is barely 100 people now, and teacher Ana (Yalitza Aparicio) is stuck handing out unemployment checks because there are no resources, and barely any students, for a school.
But when the fish packing plant announces plans to open up a secondary location, Germán sees an opportunity. He promises Santa María is a thriving village, and the perfect spot for a plant. There’s just one problem: The village won’t even be considered if they don’t have a doctor on contract.
Determined to save his family home and the village he adores, Germán hatches a plan to lure a doctor to Santa María and “seduce” him into staying. When city doctor Mateo (Pierre Louis) reluctantly agrees to set up a temporary practice for a month, the whole village does their best to charm him into staying. They tap his phones, they study his social media, they even pretend to like American Football — it’s not stalking if it’s altruistic!
Can the Santa María hook a doctor in time to save their beloved way of life?
An interesting take on the genre, The Great Seduction is a romantic comedy where the town itself is half the pairing. Think of it like a Hallmark movie where the big city lawyer falls in love with a small-town Christmas tree farm instead of the quirky person running it. Because the film doesn’t shoehorn in a romantic subplot, the worn-out romcom tropes become rather sweet. There’s the duo of older women running the phone tap, making sure Mateo’s favorite foods are at the restaurant and giggling over his flirting with his fiancé. Germán arranges to keep bumping into Mateo, so the doctor has a best friend in town who will take him fishing or be available at all hours. And as Mateo learns to love the town, the town in turn appreciates that Mateo is more than a chance at a fish packing plant, he’s a sweet guy who genuinely loves his patients.
Director Celso R. García clearly has fun playing with how viewers perceive seduction tropes in movies. He makes the village a fun and engaging place with plenty of character. It’s easy to understand how Mateo could be seduced by such a winning group of people. García also has a good sense of comic timing, keeping the movie breezy.
What makes the movie, however, are the performances. Villegas is lovely as Germán, taking what could be a darkly manipulative character and rooting him with a dreamer’s resolve. It’s not that Germán dislikes Mateo, or enjoys deceiving him, but he is desperate to save his village and everyone he loves. Louis also gives Mateo more shades than simply a fish out of water. Yes, it takes the big city doctor time to adjust to village life, but he’s not disgusted with it. He genuinely cares for his patients and is touched when they thank him and invite him to be part of the community.
While the movie is a fun twist on the romantic comedy genre, it’s hardly breaking new ground. This is the movie you take your mother to or watch while cleaning up the house. The stakes are low, the comedy is gentle, and there isn’t really a villain for you to worry about. This does take some of the drama and immediacy out of the story, but sometimes, you just want a nice light comedy to watch with the family.
If you’re a fan of films like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Calendar Girls, this is another excellent reminder that not every film needs a tragic story or high drama to be enjoyable. Get a snack, call your mom, and get cozy.
Verdict: A gentle, low-stakes comedy with winning performances.
The Great Seduction is rated PG-13 and is available on Netflix.
