The Con-Heartist is absurd and often relies too much on over-the-top gags, but you wouldn’t mind the latter thanks to the great-looking, enthusiastic cast.
The Con-Heartist Synopsis
Ex-bank employee Ina is so broke, she relies on bananas for meals each day. After thwarting a phone-scam, she demands to meet up with the scammer, i.e., Tower, following which she offers an audacious proposal. In exchange for her not reporting Tower to the police, Tower is to help Ina scam her ex. The smooth-talking, smiley fella had previously conned Ina of 500,000 Baht, before ditching her and moving on to older female victims.
Snappy Review
The Con-Heartist is my first Thai movie in a cinema in over a decade. I’d consider it a hearty welcome-back, and an over-the-top but joyful experience.
Simply put, it’s outrageous and hilarious. Many gags are uproarious too and thick with the sort of slapstick predominant in 80s and 90s Hong Kong comedies. The con caper plot itself is furthermore rich and full of twists, even if it often relies too much on hysteria and suspension of belief.
Being utterly unfamiliar with the Thai language, some of the linguistic humour was also wasted on me, although this didn’t matter too much. The cast ensures viewers know when to laugh, even if one does not understand a word they are saying.
In other words, it was great fun, especially after I got past dissecting the show for a review and just sat back to enjoy it. Breezy and light in touch, the whole story is one energetic whirlwind from one absurd situation to another. Like a co-rider in an open-top car, you will feel greatly inclined to go along and indulge in the nonsense.
And superficial as it is to say, well, the great-looking cast greatly helps with that abandonment. That nobody ended up scrambling into bed, the likes of in Western rom-coms, further sustains the gleeful joy.
By and large, not bad at all for a re-introduction to Thai comedic cinema.
Oh, one other thing. So I’ve read, many Thai movies make it a point to showcase the provinces of the Kingdom. After watching The Con-Heartist, I’ve “discovered” new travel destinations. I look forward to someday visiting these, and perhaps re-watching this show while at it.
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