'Sweet Girl' Review: Brian Andrew Mendoza's Film Leaves A Sour Taste

Instead of relying on its emotional anchor, Sweet Girl decides to bank on its action element and injects a most unrealistic twist that proves to be the film's undoing.

This Netflix movie is director Brian Andrew Mendoza's feature film debut. The film fails and that's largely because of an unwise decision to include something the story never needed.

The hulking Jason Momoa stars as Ray Cooper, a husband and father who watches his world crumble after his wife is ravaged by cancer.

A ray of hope surfaces when the doctor tells Ray and his family about a groundbreaking drug that could get rid of the terminal ailment.

Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical company that makes the drug decides to pull it off the market just when Ray's wife Amanda (Adria Arjona) needs it the most.

Ray and his daughter Rachel (Isabela Merced) are powerless to stop the cancer which ends up claiming Amanda's life. Grief-stricken, Ray vows vengeance on the pharmaceutical company and taking his reluctant child along, begins a one-man crusade for justice.

I'm a fan of Jason Momoa as the dude exudes a charm and presence that command attention. Even though he is yet to prove himself in dramatic roles, there is a scene here where he breaks down in tears that so impressed me that I expected the story to lift off from that emotional core. That was never the case.

Choosing to rely on action over more promising plot elements, Sweet Girl goes from engaging to muddled, with the lead characters trying to prove to the viewer who makes the more stupid choices.

Adria Arjona has very limited screen time but her acting and the makeup employed for the hospital scenes make her brief performance worth every single shot.

I enjoyed watching Isabela Merced in Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Here, she has her moments but is held back by a script which makes her character an annoying brat at times.

As for Momoa, well I would say even his charm and magnetism can't save this film from wallowing in its mediocre depths. The impact of every scene he appears in after the death of his wife is destroyed when a major plot twist is introduced during the third act.

The action scenes are underwhelming and the dialogue is cringeworthy at best. 

Hardcore Momoa fans may not be disappointed but for the rest of us who always look out for the needed flavour to ignite promising tales like these, Sweet Girl ends up leaving a sour taste.

Rating:5/10.