Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Man is addicted to his phone and ignores family; language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
I Can't Live Without You
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU, Carlos (Adrian Suar) is a well-to-do businessman trying to make partner at his firm. He's also addicted to his cellphone. Those two obsessions leave little time for his family. When his wife Adela (Paz Vega) tells him she's at the end of her patience because neither she nor their two kids ever get his full attention, he continues to juggle work and phone use by lying. Will Carlos change his ways?
Is It Any Good?
One supposes the goal of I Can't Live Without You is to be a touching love story. That's a difficult ask when the central character is a self-absorbed liar that the audience watches make one bad decision after another. It's supposed to be funny when a pregnant woman's water breaks in his living room and his first utterance is the highly unhelpful, "It's a new couch!" But it just seems like another indication that this guy cares only about himself. That makes it hard to feel for him and his woes.
In a tedious "comic" sequence, instead of honestly telling his wife and his boss that he has conflicts, he thinks he can cleverly cater to both by subterfuge. He changes his clothes every five minutes, jumping between a business video meeting and the fun afternoon he promised his family. We could, in fact, root for a great guy to get his girl back, but since lying is Carlos' default strategy, it wouldn't matter if he never looked at his cellphone again; he'd still be devious and deceitful. Who wants that? It's his deep character flaws that rob the movie of any feel-good potential.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the problem of cellphone addiction. Do you think using a cellphone too much can harm a person's life? Why or why not?
Carlos acknowledges that both his job and his cellphone addiction have alienated his wife. How much of a role do you think his constant lying plays in her dissatisfaction?
Comedy often exaggerates to achieve laughs. Do you think over-exaggerating can have the opposite effect? How so?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : August 16, 2024
- Cast : Adrian Suar , Paz Vega , Ramon Barea
- Director : Santiago Roquejo
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 112 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 22, 2024
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