Here we are, once again, sucked into the cheesy vortex of the Gabriel series. The more you try to get out the more it pulls you in. It's the unyielding power of corny romance movies adapted from equally corny romance novels.
The second installment for the second book in this tedious series which for some reason is being milked for all its worth and trust me, it ain't worth more than an average Hallmark Christmas film with baffling directorial choices, awkward, laughable dialogue, painfully long pace and stilted acting. I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that each book is split into three parts, without attempting to deviate from the source material and add anything new to the plot. They're adapting over 1000 pages of nothing into 9 consecutive films.
What did we do to deserve this?
Oh, the humanity.
Aside from the overstretched storyline the good news is somehow things pick up in this 5th sequel ( i know right?).
There's some action involved albeit delayed and reserved for the last 25 minutes of this dreary charade with our protagonists looking dense trying to defend themselves for their actions.
Our beloved couple gets blindsided by serious accusations concerning the nature of their relationship despite being entirely aware of the consequences and going on trips together as a couple, with Professor Bowtie introducing his student as his fiancée to other colleagues, sending letters of recommendation for her, giving her perfect grades on his inane Dante/Beatrice course and even granting her a bursary despite the fact she barely ever studies and her "hard work" is a hollow excuse considering Emerson's obsessive need to control every aspect of her life, from paying her rent to using his position to get her into Harvard as easily as possible.
Could it be any more obvious to the outside world that these two have something going on? The snitch wasn't the ignorant academic council or anyone working near Emerson with a functional brain but a comically villainous student who is so enamoured of Emerson's abominable attitude that she decides to get back on his girlfriend by reporting her to the Dean.
You should be aware that every woman in this series, besides his sister and a fellow, older professor, is lusting after this man like he's some God in human form, not an awkward brick with legs and gritted teeth. Not only is he wanted, they even plot schemes to conquer him, because the standards for a half decent guy that doesn't behave like an erratic maniac have reached a new low.
It was a matter of time for our protagonists to be caught red-handed so it's bizarre why neither didn't see this coming , particularly the professor who abused his power and rightfully takes full responsibility by sacrificing their relationship without telling Julia and treating her coldly as part of his grand plan to push her away because communicating as grown adults is such a hard task for any contemporary romance novel character.
*cue dramatic music* Gee, i wonder if they'll get back together in the upcoming 4 sequels or not. What a heartstopping plot this is.
We have the usual melodramatic romantic trite between two characters that have no real connection whatsoever other than sharing traumas and one person exercising control over another. The other characters are just as decorative with the female characters being portrayed as petty , mean spirited femme fatales besides the clueless, naive and soft spoken Julia who lacks a backbone and several layers of personality to be considered more than one dimensional. Yay for feminism and fleshed out female protagonists that love themselves.
Gabriel Emerson, like any Fifty Shades/Twilight inspired hero, is nefarious, toxic and unlikable each time we have to endure his stifling presence on screen. This guy is just plain unbearable, and his emotional baggage doesn't justify his actions.
He rudely walks out from a therapist's office when he's confronted about his ongoing alcohol addiction of which there's no mention to his "better half" of course, deals with his problems by smashing furniture or beating up people and like a true toxic alpha male, he keeps important things from Julia, who's too preoccupied obsessing over women snatching her perfect boyfriend away instead of dumping him, because he knows better than her and she has no agency as an individual. There's nothing redeemable about him and no, the title of the third book is misleading, just trust me on this one. He has the emotional maturity of a toddler and he shouldn't be near students or women. In real life, he's the murderer that makes it on the 9 o'clock news for shooting down his wife because she tried to escape from his abusive, controlling behavior. It never ends in a happily ever after.
Overall this is another bad film you can watch when you have nothing better to do and I'll probably tune in for the sequels because beyond all the flaws it provides a good laugh, besides the red flags and the problematic portrayal of romantic relationships. Plus, writing these reviews has been really enjoyable.
I'll close this review with an example of the stellar, beautifully written dialogue in this movie.
"When I'm not with you i feel like one of my legs is missing."
The second installment for the second book in this tedious series which for some reason is being milked for all its worth and trust me, it ain't worth more than an average Hallmark Christmas film with baffling directorial choices, awkward, laughable dialogue, painfully long pace and stilted acting. I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that each book is split into three parts, without attempting to deviate from the source material and add anything new to the plot. They're adapting over 1000 pages of nothing into 9 consecutive films.
What did we do to deserve this?
Oh, the humanity.
Aside from the overstretched storyline the good news is somehow things pick up in this 5th sequel ( i know right?).
There's some action involved albeit delayed and reserved for the last 25 minutes of this dreary charade with our protagonists looking dense trying to defend themselves for their actions.
Our beloved couple gets blindsided by serious accusations concerning the nature of their relationship despite being entirely aware of the consequences and going on trips together as a couple, with Professor Bowtie introducing his student as his fiancée to other colleagues, sending letters of recommendation for her, giving her perfect grades on his inane Dante/Beatrice course and even granting her a bursary despite the fact she barely ever studies and her "hard work" is a hollow excuse considering Emerson's obsessive need to control every aspect of her life, from paying her rent to using his position to get her into Harvard as easily as possible.
Could it be any more obvious to the outside world that these two have something going on? The snitch wasn't the ignorant academic council or anyone working near Emerson with a functional brain but a comically villainous student who is so enamoured of Emerson's abominable attitude that she decides to get back on his girlfriend by reporting her to the Dean.
You should be aware that every woman in this series, besides his sister and a fellow, older professor, is lusting after this man like he's some God in human form, not an awkward brick with legs and gritted teeth. Not only is he wanted, they even plot schemes to conquer him, because the standards for a half decent guy that doesn't behave like an erratic maniac have reached a new low.
It was a matter of time for our protagonists to be caught red-handed so it's bizarre why neither didn't see this coming , particularly the professor who abused his power and rightfully takes full responsibility by sacrificing their relationship without telling Julia and treating her coldly as part of his grand plan to push her away because communicating as grown adults is such a hard task for any contemporary romance novel character.
*cue dramatic music* Gee, i wonder if they'll get back together in the upcoming 4 sequels or not. What a heartstopping plot this is.
We have the usual melodramatic romantic trite between two characters that have no real connection whatsoever other than sharing traumas and one person exercising control over another. The other characters are just as decorative with the female characters being portrayed as petty , mean spirited femme fatales besides the clueless, naive and soft spoken Julia who lacks a backbone and several layers of personality to be considered more than one dimensional. Yay for feminism and fleshed out female protagonists that love themselves.
Gabriel Emerson, like any Fifty Shades/Twilight inspired hero, is nefarious, toxic and unlikable each time we have to endure his stifling presence on screen. This guy is just plain unbearable, and his emotional baggage doesn't justify his actions.
He rudely walks out from a therapist's office when he's confronted about his ongoing alcohol addiction of which there's no mention to his "better half" of course, deals with his problems by smashing furniture or beating up people and like a true toxic alpha male, he keeps important things from Julia, who's too preoccupied obsessing over women snatching her perfect boyfriend away instead of dumping him, because he knows better than her and she has no agency as an individual. There's nothing redeemable about him and no, the title of the third book is misleading, just trust me on this one. He has the emotional maturity of a toddler and he shouldn't be near students or women. In real life, he's the murderer that makes it on the 9 o'clock news for shooting down his wife because she tried to escape from his abusive, controlling behavior. It never ends in a happily ever after.
Overall this is another bad film you can watch when you have nothing better to do and I'll probably tune in for the sequels because beyond all the flaws it provides a good laugh, besides the red flags and the problematic portrayal of romantic relationships. Plus, writing these reviews has been really enjoyable.
I'll close this review with an example of the stellar, beautifully written dialogue in this movie.
"When I'm not with you i feel like one of my legs is missing."