When the institution of marriage was first created, it wasn’t based on love but on the transactional value of mutual benefits. “Someone Borrowed” reminds us of that, since their entire relationship feels like an arranged marriage instead of a love story, not to mention that they have no chemistry to speak of. What was the need for this movie? It attempted nothing different, and even the material was average at best. The writers had to be aware of that. To be fair, “Someone Borrowed” was ahead of its time, as in, it should have been made a few years ago. That is the only thing that would have made it better. Let us take a look at why this film was so unnecessary.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Luiz And Lina Start Fake Dating?
If we ever thought that the ‘Not Like Other Girls’ club was a plague that refused to leave, we have overlooked the breed that is ‘Not Like Other Guys.’ Luiz is exactly that and trust us when we say he is as bland as oatmeal. Come on, people fall in love all the time, but the reason people still like to watch them do it is that they either like or relate to the characters. Neither happens with Luiz. He needed to be charming, but he was not, and that is a huge drawback the film suffers from. How is it that ‘not wanting a relationship’ is your entire personality? Anyway, he is also unemployed and living with his mother because he loves her and wants to care for her, despite her telling him that she doesn’t need him to. She is the one taking care of him. His mother keeps asking him to find a good woman to settle down with and if not, at least get a job. Luiz is interested in neither. In his seemingly easy life, where he gets away with taking no emotional responsibility for anything, a constant thorn in his side is his elder sister, Maria Inez, who is highly jealous of him for being the favorite of their parents. Either way, while celebrating their mother’s birthday, Carlota falls down unconscious. Everyone panics and takes her to a doctor, who tells them that she has just six months left to live. Her last wish is to see Luiz get married, and he obliged her by lying that there is someone in his life. That’s his next mission—to find that someone. His friend recommends hiring an actress for that, and he knows just the person for it—Lina.
Our heroine is a broke actress who goes on fake dates for money, along with doing theater. She agrees to help Luiz and calls him over to her place so that they can rehearse for the job. However, when she shows up for dinner at his house, she gets most things wrong and makes a mess. Throughout it all, Maria Inez is not convinced that they are a couple for real and insists on following them. That night, due to a series of misunderstandings, Lina ends up having to introduce herself to Luiz’s girlfriend, Maria Inez, while the real sister is still not convinced that they are a real couple. The next day, Carlota gives the keys of the family apartment to the ‘couple’ and asks them to live together. Things couldn’t be better for Lina, who has not had a place to stay or a source of income for a while now. In their new place, Luiz takes on the role of the homemaker and grows up somewhat from his previous self. Lina starts booking the two of them as a duo with his food and her entertainment. It turns out to be a success, and Luiz finally starts a career. Things are going well, and both of them have come to enjoy each other’s company above all else, indicating the start of a true connection. Bro, the execution of this was so yawn-inducing.
Anyway, Carlota’s health seems is improving. Now that her son is getting independent, she has started living her best life by going on dates, hanging out with her friends, and finally giving up cooking. Luiz is surprised at these changes and begins to understand that his mother does not need his help as much as he previously thought. But things are still not easy. He has been facing a drought for 2 months, and his friend recommends that he go camping in the mountains with his girlfriend. Luiz agrees but does a very stupid thing with a rather feeble excuse—he invites Lina to go with him and Gloria so that they can send some pictures from there to his family. It is predictable that throughout the trip, he gets along better with Lina than with Gloria. His drought doesn’t end, thanks to Lina’s jealousy-induced antics, but a call on a forgotten phone reveals the truth to Gloria. She packs up the entire camp and leaves, leaving Lina and Luiz stranded in the forest. However, that just furthers their love story. They come back to the city and continue their lives until one particular celebratory night. Luiz and Lina win a dance contest against Maria Inez and Samir, which leads the sister to angrily reveal their secret to everyone. Of course, it is a “comedy,” so the screen glitches when Gloria tries to tell the truth from her retreat. But Luiz has had enough, and he confesses to his mother that it is all true. But here is the twist in the tale. Carlota knew it all along, and she was paying Gloria to continue the farce because she had understood that the charade was turning her son into a better man. Lina confesses that through the act, she had come to have genuine feelings for Luiz, and she was confused about everything now. But Luiz is angry, and he walks away from there.
‘Someone Borrowed’ Ending Explained: What Happens To Luiz And Lina Finally?
Luiz moves out of their shared apartment and starts looking for jobs since he can’t work with Lina anymore. But in time, he comes to miss her. His friend points out that he is a different man now and asks him to not stop himself from being the man of his own dreams. Seriously, did Luiz ever have any aspirations for anything? He seemed happy enough to live off the allowance he got from his mother. He goes to his apartment looking for Lina but meets his mother instead, who informs him that Lina has left. They have a heart-to-heart where she tells him some things which we just did not understand due to their lack of sense. Moving on, Maria Inez has divorced her husband and has moved into his room. The three of them are watching the news when they spot Lina on television, declaring that she is leaving the city. Luiz runs to find her and does so, though he has to beat a lot of traffic for it. What are these aspirational struggles that he has? We also want them. Anyway, he asks her to marry him, and she agrees instantly. Did we remember to say that we don’t like this movie? Both of them get married. Maria Inez still has a relationship with her husband, and the movie remains shallow. So “Someone Borrowed” ends with three things happening that shouldn’t have happened.
Final Thoughts: Why Does ‘Someone Borrowed’ Fail?
The reason we keep repeating the statement that “Someone Borrowed” lacks depth is that there is nothing else to say due to the aforesaid lack of depth. The characters have no personality. Seriously, what does Luiz even do other than be a “chill guy”? And what is Lina like, other than someone who talks a lot? They feel more like good roommates than lovers. Neither of them has a job, so how are they going to sustain themselves? Poor Carlota will have to bear the burden of two people now, all because her defining wish was for her son to find a woman more than she wanted him to find a job. Sometimes, even when the characters are bad, you can tell that it is not due to a lack of effort on the part of the actors. But sadly, even they lacked charm. The only people we liked were Carlota and Maria Inez, but they were not enough to salvage this dated train wreck. We are going to recommend that no one ever watch this movie.
“Someone Borrowed” is a 2022 Drama Romance film directed by Cris D’Amato.
