Sara’s high school best friend Aaron (Gil Cerezo) was the love of her life. But when he moved away to become famous singer “Aaron Star” and she never heard from him again, Sara figured this was just part of her curse of bad luck. Now, every time she thinks about him, she gets a headache. She starts to worry that maybe her bad luck is because she’s not good enough for him. But then one day, after years of trying to find him, Sara finally hears from him. He’s in Mexico City and he wants to come back home to see her.
Ever since her younger sister Lucy (Renata Notni) cursed Sara–the five-year-old claimed she would steal all of her wishes–Sara can’t seem to hold onto a good thing. While the fashion designer struggles to keep her clothing shop afloat, everything she wants for herself happens to Lucy instead–including a surprise engagement to none other than Aaron Star. Sara tries to make herself happy for the Instagram-perfect couple. But it turns out that she never stopped loving Aaron herself. Aaron and Sara had been dating for about six months when Renata made her curse, but they had been planning to get married anyway. When Renata makes another wish and Aaron breaks up with her, Sara is heartbroken. She spends the next few weeks trying to make things right with Aaron, but he’s too busy with work and his new girlfriend to pay much attention to her. Eventually, Sara realizes that she still loves him and decides to break up with Lucy instead. ..
Sara Miller, the show’s writer and creator, takes great care to make the character of Sara intensely relatable and likeable. From her (unnecessary) fourth-wall breaking stare into the camera to her self-deprecating and sarcastic jabs, Derbez lends the very awkward charm the role calls for. ..
As siblings, Derbez and Notni are charismatic leads for a charming cast. However, they both have the tendency to overact in playing up their polar-opposite archetypes. Mostly, however, stereotypes work for this cheesy romantic comedy. All in all, Don’t Blame Karma is a saccharine comfort watch that’s able to lean into its more cringeworthy moments. The film only fails in where it tries to be different.
The film’s strong focus on family is a welcome change from the typical romcom plot, which often revolves around two people who are in love and have no other choice but to stay together. However, the story’s flatness and lack of development make it difficult to invest in the characters, especially Sara, who is forced to grow up quickly and learn about love and relationships at a very young age.
Sara and Aaron’s romance is reminiscent of classic love stories. They share moments from their childhood that remind them of how much they care for each other. This makes their relationship feel natural and relatable to audiences. ..
Don’t Blame Karma didn’t quite meet its climax when it came to Sara and Aaron’s love story, instead flipping the script and attempting a more subversive end for the romantic genre. “Attempting” is the key word. Because if you’re going to break away from a tried-and-true romcom formula, you have to have something worthwhile to say.
Karma is often blamed for ending relationships, but there may be another explanation. ..
