Parents' Guide to

Despite Everything

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Spanish comedy about sisters has language, drugs, sex.

Movie NR 2019 78 minutes
Despite Everything Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 17+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Elenaelena
Elenaelena Adult
June 11, 2019
age 14+

Best movie ever!!

This movie is so much fun, hilarious, inspirational I couldn’t stop laughing i totally recommend it! A total Must watch!
Doris Day
Doris Day Adult
May 28, 2019
age 18+

Slow and Boring

Way to slow, they go on and on and on over one issue, it's ridiculous! All the men and their prevertedness is so not appealing, nor interesting. It could have been a cute love story, but.. .. nooooooo..... it's unbelievably stupid, too much ignorance, too slow moving, not even interesting! Total waste of time! Garbage!
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Four far-flung grown daughters gather when their dynamic 70-year-old mother, Carmen (Marisa Paredes), dies in Madrid in DESPITE EVERYTHING. Their dad, Pedro (Juan Diego), is in and out of reality, possibly suffering dementia. The women quickly learn that in order to get their inheritance, they'll have to follow clues to the identities of their biological fathers: men their mother had sex with after learning their "dad" was sterile. Each is working through private issues. Sara (Blanca Suarez) hasn't gotten over loving Alejandro (Maxi Iglesias), and buries her sorrow in work. Lucia (Macarena Garcia) has always felt her mother didn't love her. Claudia (Belen Cuesta) drinks too much, hiding the fact that her husband has left her. Sofia (Amaia Salamanca) is a rebellious artistic soul who can't commit to any of her lesbian lovers. Together the daughters meet their fathers, most of them seemingly unlikely, and learn that each man had had an ongoing relationship with Carmen, in some cases lasting decades. This offers lots of opportunity for the sisters to discuss sex, admire a painting of a man's penis, and criticize each other for their flaws and character defects.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (1):

The movie is a fun what-if that leaves many logic holes through which trucks of skepticism can be driven. At first, Despite Everything follows a Wizard of Oz kind of Yellow Brick Road, with the sisters on their forced quest to find fathers and meeting interesting people and learning about themselves along the way. Although the journey is at times amusing to watch, what's troubling is that the movie never addresses the fact that in response to Pedro's sterility, Carmen didn't just have sex with other men to get pregnant, she also pursued long relationships outside her marriage. The pain this must have caused her husband, especially when she describes one of the biological fathers as the love of her life, had to have been enormous. Instead of hearing about Carmen's clear insensitivity, we hear only the adulation of her former lovers. The unkindness she did to her long-suffering husband certainly seems worth exploring by the daughters who love the man who raised them.

In some ways, this movie seems a prisoner of political correctness and tone deaf to reality. All of Carmen's behavior is depicted approvingly in an atmosphere of extreme privilege and wealth. The well-to-do children are mostly blasé about the mother's adultery, as if viewing Mom as a brave soul who courageously enjoyed sex demonstrates their enlightenment. This raises an issue parents may want to talk about with teens: If a less wealthy wife had done the same, she would at least be judged irresponsible for having unprotected sex with so many partners in an era of rampant STDs.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it would be like to learn the father who raised you isn't your biological father. Do you think Despite Everything dealt with the daughters' feelings realistically?

  • What's your opinion of the mom, who sought out not only sperm donors to father her children but also long-term relationships? Do you think the mother was fair to her husband?

  • How would you feel if you were the dad and this information was being made public? Does the movie address this issue?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate