In a genre littered with clichés, cringe-worthy dialogue, and characters as flat as a two-dimensional heart emoji, finding a romantic comedy series that genuinely resonates can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Too often, romantic comedies descend into formulaic narratives, offering nothing more than predictable “meet-cutes. With cardboard supporting characters, and romantic arcs that require a suspension of disbelief, most are truly terrible.
That's why discovering a gem like The Perfect Story (Spanish: Un cuento perfecto) feels akin to striking gold.
It revitalises a genre that seemed to have lost its lustre, offering complex characters, snappy dialogue, and a love story that captures the messiness, hilarity, and tenderness of real-life romance.
What Is A Perfect Story About?
First off, the primary element that elevates A Perfect Story above its peers is the fact that it is a five-episode miniseries. So instantly there's time to develop both the characters and the story beyond the usual 90 minutes.
Based on the novel of the same name by Elísabet Benavent, this Spanish miniseries begins with Margot (Anna Castillo) preparing for her upcoming wedding. The problem is that she's not sure if she wants to get married.
But, coming from a very wealthy family, and being the heiress to a hotel empire, simply running away from her own wedding is not really an option. Until it is.
So that's exactly what Margot does, she becomes the runaway bride and in doing so potentially destroys her relationship with her fiancee Filippo.
Across the city, David (Álvaro Mel) has just had his heartbroken by the love of his life Idoia and is desperate to win her back.
Multi-tasker David is an easygoing guy who works three jobs and lives with his friends, sleeping on their sofa. He's goofy and messy and goes where life takes him. Margot is the polar opposite.
Then fate strikes as a chance meeting brings Margot and David together and they realise that they can help each other win back their loved ones. The two quickly become friends on the basis that they will always be honest with each other.
But the harder they try to prove how much they love their respective ex-partners, the closer together they grow. Will a trip to Greece change all of that or are they destined to end back with Filippo and Idoia?
A Perfect Story Official Trailer
Is A Perfect Story Worth Watching?
A Perfect Story is a light romantic story that is captivating not least because of its two charming leads. Coming from different worlds, it's always clear that there are sparks between them.
Normally you would expect them to ignore this until the very last moments of the closing credits, but here it is the central core of the story.
In fact, what makes the series different is that their thoughts as well as what they actually say (which can be two very different things) are both vocalised which is a nice addition and adds far more depth than expected.
So is A Perfect Story worth watching? Well, that depends entirely on whether the romcom genre is your thing. If it is then you'll absolutely love this. If you'd rather watch paint dry then this review and show probably won't change your mind.
I'm normally a real cynic when it comes to romantic comedies and spend most of my time cringing at how bad they are. But surprisingly, I found this to be one of the few that I was genuinely invested in.
It's sweet, well-written, well-acted and with plenty of laughs will keep you entertained. In fact, I was a little sad when it ended.
A Perfect Story Season 2
I hate to dash the hopes of fans who were holding out for a second season. A Perfect Story is billed as a Limited Series which essentially means that the entire story is wrapped up in a neat bow.
And if you've watched it, you know how it ends so where the writers would go from there is a mystery. That and it is based on a book that has no follow-up.
So the likelihood of a potential second season about Margot and David's life is highly unlikely.
However, and this is the sort-of good news bit, if you loved A Perfect Story then check out Valeria the Spanish comedy-drama developed by María López Castaño on Netflix.
With three seasons, it is based on the novel series En los zapatos de Valeria, also by writer Elísabet Benavent.
A Perfect Story Netflix Cast
Anna Castillo as Margot
Álvaro Mel as David
Lydia Pavón as Idoia
Mario Ermito as Filippo
Jimmy Castro as Iván
Tai Fati as Domi
Ana Belén as Margarita
Lourdes Hernández as Patricia
Ingrid García-Jonsson as Candela
