Stream It Or Skip It: ‘In Family I Trust’ on Netflix, a Spanish Rom-com About a Heartbroken Woman and her Wacky Family

In Family I Trust is another new film in Netflix’s increasingly large library of international releases, which, from a bird’s-eye view, creates an impressively diverse patchwork of content. This one is a light romantic comedy — based on the novel by Laura Norton — in which a Spanish woman finds her urban-professional life suddenly upended. So what else is there for her to do besides return to the country home where she grew up, and lean on her eccentric family for support?

IN FAMILY I TRUST: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Bea (Clara Lago) is tipsy. She and her co-worker-slash-boyfriend Victor (Fernando Guallar) are out celebrating a successful day at the architecture firm when they spot the local news anchor (Marta Belmonte) who’s on Victor’s celeb-crush list. On a lark, Bea introduces herself to the woman, brings Victor into the conversation, then apparently goes home and passes out. Guess what happened while she slept? Right. So she quits her dream job, packs her broken heart in a suitcase and takes a train back to see her mom, Angela (Carmen Maura), still living in their longtime family home in a quaint, perma-sunny rural village.

For reasons never quite specified, Bea’s three siblings are always at their mom’s house. Perhaps they live there too? Or maybe they live nearby? Anyway, there’s her sister Irene (Alexandra Jimenez), who’s the town mayor; her brother Leon (Carlos Cuevas), whose sole characteristic is his homosexuality; and her other sister Debora (Paula Malia), a new mother. A flashback explains how Angela (Carmen Maura) has the ability to physically touch people and diagnose their illnesses, but not treat them. OK, neat! Her husband/their father is AWOL; he was a sailor, and he’s either dead or at sea, sailing or fishing or being a pirate. Who knows? Is that important? It might be!

Bea moves into her old bedroom, which of course looks exactly the way she left it years ago. Angela springs some troubling news on her children — don’t you dare try to guess what it might be, even though the thing that popped into your head first is probably it. Meanwhile, Debora harbors a secret; Irene contends with a biomass plant being planned for the town; and Leon stands around being gay. The guy in charge of the biomass whatnot is Diego (Alex Garcia), a handsome widower who’s so rich, he drives a vintage pink Benz to the gorgeous wooded sites his company is about to raze. What, I dare you to consider, might happen when Diego hires Bea to build a ludicrously cute treehouse for his ludicrously cute daughter? Might they have ludicrously cute sex in it? I’ll never tell.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Take a Sweet Home Alabama/The Family Stone/Dan in Real Life/Home for the Holidays-type formula and run it through a Mamma Mia! aesthetic-o-tron, then have Julia Roberts ca. 1996 pass on it for a better screenplay, and you’ll have In Family I Trust.

Performance Worth Watching: Even when the script is flimsy, Lago ably anchors the movie with a light, easy charm, ideal for the movie’s fluffy blend of comedy and drama.

Memorable Dialogue: “Your family is a little nuts, isn’t it?” Victor says, and we’re not even sure if he knows about Angela’s apparent superpowers.

Single Best Shot: Bea and Diego smooch at a pretty scenic overlook (which looks suspiciously like a green screen effect) while the pink Benz lurks in the foreground like a voyeur.

Sex and Skin: A little PG-13 nookie and a quick glimpse of the hunky widower’s bare heinie.

Our Take: This movie is so lightweight, a butterfly fart would blow it out of the room. That breezy quality will appeal to those seeking a minimally challenging diversion, and who understand that nothing truly meaningful or memorable will happen here, no matter how hard the movie tries to move you with its bevy of Poignant Montages. Your interest might be engaged by a few earnest moments between the protagonist and her siblings, but don’t expect the feeling to linger. Characters are shallow; situations are familiar; nah, don’t bother to hit pause while I go to the bathroom.

Our Call: SKIP IT. If vanilla pudding was a movie, it would be In Family I Trust.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream In Family I Trust on Netflix