Cuddle Weather: Movie Review

Saved by great performances from RK Bagatsing and Sue Ramirez, "Cuddle Weather" isn't the deep dive we expected it to be into the dark under belly of its very taboo subject. What we get is an awkward and incomplete attempt to do a balancing act between romance, drama, comedy and grit.

Two sex workers decide to form a relationship as "cuddle partners" but things get complicated when they soon realize they want something more out of it. While one aims to retire soon, the other is just getting started on the seedy yet rewarding world of selling your body.

Prostitution. It's a hard subject to tackle not only because it's unconventional but it's a subject that can be perceived as a degrading and dehumanizing choice - one reserved for those who are really desperate and out of options. "Cuddle Weather" plays around with that idea but fails to make any deep substantial impact emotionally speaking. While it delves into hard topics like how at its core, prostitutes are people and have real feelings or how prostitutes are treated as objects without inhibitions, it seemed like its romance comedy aspect was given more weight than its controversial premise. Unfortunately, this did not translate to a great romance comedy film experience too. The narrative was simple but developed and paced poorly. Some side plots felt under-developed and never fully resolved. The initial premise had high potential to be impactful but it never really realizes its full potential. There are moments where the film shines when it isn't afraid to be real and bear the ugly truth but those are few and far between. Maybe they were banking on the character of Adela (played by Sue Ramirez) being mentally and emotionally broken that she is unable to fully resolve her issues in life but it doesn't really help make the film feel complete by the time the credits roll. The saving grace for "Cuddle Weather" was Sue Ramirez and RK Bagatsing. They had great performances that felt authentic and real. Even with a limited and ineffective story, we really rooted and fell hard for their characters. At the end of the day, "Cuddle Weather" will be a film that will still make you think and pause on how we should treat other humans in society. It's never really a good idea to belittle someone just because they do not have the ideal career. Unfortunately, this thought-provoking aspect was not because "Cuddle Weather" was an effective film but its premise begs us to be so and to do so.

Rating: 2 and a half reels




Why you should watch it:
- great acting between the leads
- a shallow look into the lives of sex workers

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the story was simply lackluster
- the film had a lot of unfulfilled potential

"Cuddle Weather" is now available on Netflix.