It is no surprise at all that a huge chunk of the audience for Congrats My Ex is going to be fans of Bright Vachirawit Chivaree, and rightfully so, because the movie itself is rather generic. But first things first, a lot of it was tastefully done, and our apprehensions about any possible racism were easily dispelled within minutes. Maybe the humor could have been better, but it was not a prominent part of the script, so it did not really bother us. Finally, though, we have to wonder why Risa was not given better Indian outfits. Monica wore good Indian fashion, but it feels a little unjust that the dress that made it to the main poster of the movie was something people wore ten years ago in India. On a positive note, the baby pink lehenga she wore at the end was a saving grace. As for Bright, he was his charming self as usual, and we wish that he could learn to dance a bit more to add to his long line of accomplishments. In the meantime, here is a summary and ending of Congrats My Ex.
Spoiler Alert
Why is Risa planning her ex’s wedding?
It is a question worth asking as to why a woman who feels pukish every time she sees a couple in love, decides to be a wedding planner. Risa pulls all the stops for her clients, and during one such adventure, when the man wanted to scare his girlfriend before proposing to her, the woman ran into an accident while scared of the ghosts that her boyfriend had set up. Somehow, Risa’s company ended up being responsible for it, and they had to cover the bills, which left them broke. They needed another wedding ASAP, and that is when a different company outsourced their client to them. They were packed to begin with and couldn’t handle all the weddings, so they asked Risa to handle the Indian wedding. However, the groom turns out to be Risa’s ex, Arun, and Risa doesn’t want to organize the wedding anymore. But she can’t escape the fact that she has no money and she needs to save her company, so she decides to go through with her job.
What is Risa’s past with Arun and Tim?
Risa had met Arun when she was in the UK for her Masters. They had instantly fallen in love and were together for a year before Arun told her that it was over. Risa returned to Thailand, and on a trip when she was trying to get over Arun, she met Tim. He liked her, and probably Risa was also comfortable with him, but due to her conflicting feelings, she ended up ghosting him. Tim tried for a long time to get over her, and just when he was starting to, Risa came back into his life. The wedding photographer had run into an accident, and Tim was the only possible option left for her. In a way, it is impossible to decide whether the impossible situation of all other photographers either dying or moving to different countries was pure comedy or too forced, but Tim is back in Risa’s life.
What follows is a series of accidents and coincidences that end up affecting all the parties involved. Tim gets a little mean with Risa, and she pushes him into the pool, not knowing that he cannot swim. When she brings him out, she is also forced to tell Arun that Tim is her boyfriend again because she doesn’t want to come across as a loser who is caught between two exes at one’s wedding. Risa strong-arms Tim into this game, but he may care more for her than he is letting on. He protects her from a sword, and Risa is also beginning to suspect that she feels more for Tim than she has ever realized. Meanwhile, Arun is starting to feel a twinge of something for his ex. A comparison and memory of past feelings are always natural, but perhaps Arun needs to be more self-aware that he is getting married within 24 hours to the girl he fell in love with the moment he saw her.
Does Risa end up with Tim?
When Risa heard from Arun’s father about the whisper of the gods—that you know in your heart of hearts whether you want to spend your life with a person—perhaps she started thinking whether she had ever heard that whisper when she was with Arun.
During a blackout, Arun finally tells Risa that after seeing her at his wedding, his feelings are once again shaky, and he is unsure whether he is truly over her. Just then, Monica overhears their conversation, and she tells Arun that she always knew that Risa was his ex, and she wanted him to tell her that. If he was unsure of his feelings, why would he bring the two families together for a wedding? As an angry Monica stomps off, Arun and Risa follow her, hanging on for dear life to the truck she insists on driving recklessly. When Monica finally stops, Arun apologizes to her and says that not telling her was his mistake, but he is sure of how he feels and wants to marry her. As for Risa, even though she admits that a schoolgirl fantasy of getting back with her ex had made her take up the wedding, she knew better now, and not only was she over him, but Arun loved Monica more than anything. Finally, even Tim tells Monica that their best pictures will come after their marriage, when they are spending a lifetime getting to know each other, and she shouldn’t let go of that with Arun right now.
The pleas work, and at the end of Congrats My Ex, Monica forgives Arun, and they get married to each other. Even Risa is over her puckishness at the sight of love. As for Tim, he is leaving because he believes that his role in the story is over, but Risa chases him down on a white horse and tells him that she doesn’t want to let him go and would like to resume their relationship. The wedding planner has found her own love story.
Final Thoughts
In some ways, it may have been for the better if Risa and Tim had not gotten back together. There was no actual buildup to their love story, and it looked like them ending up together was the only happy ending for Risa that the writers could imagine. Other than that, Congrats My Ex is a decent-ish movie with charming actors and a nice song.
