Momose, Mocchi wo Muite.
2014 / 109m - Japan
Drama, Romance
3.0*/5.0*
My Pretend Girlfriend poster

Watches

April 06, 2021

3.0*/5.0*

Decent but predictable romantic drama. There's no lack of them in Japan and My Pretend Girlfriend fails to set itself apart from its many peers. The premise is pretty standard and once it's clear which direction this film is going in, you're pretty much set for the remainder of the film.

To impress an older boy, Momose stages a fake relationship with Noboru, a will-less boy from her class. Noboru goes along with the charade, but the more they hang out together and the longer their fake relationship lasts, the more the two begin to develop real feeling for each other. Lots of pining ensues.

Soft piano tunes, sullen-looking characters and bright-colored settings make for a typical romantic drama. The problem is that there's nothing quite distinctive in the execution and it felt like everything had been done before, only better. It's not a terrible film, there's definitely some quality here, it's just too run-of-the-mill to make a real impression.