Love 2000s romcoms? Lebanese director Elie Semaan loves them more, I’d wager.
His 2024 film, the sleeper hit Honeymoonish, was a Gulf spin on How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days – following a man and a woman pretending to fall in love until they accidentally really do.
Groom and Two Brides, his latest Kuwait-set Netflix original that’s out today, is once again mining that era’s reliable rewatchables – this time jumping from the oeuvre of Kate Hudson to Jennifer Lopez.
Here, Kuwait-based Lebanese actress Laila Abdallah plays Yasmine, a wedding planner hired to plan the wedding of a childhood friend whom her father secretly promised she would one day marry. She doesn’t know it’s his wedding, of course.
We see all this from the perspective of Adam, played by Kuwaiti actor Abdullah Boushehri. From his eyes, he’s struggling to keep his head above water – finding himself accidentally engaged to two women, imagining what life might be like with either of them while desperately trying to keep them from finding out about one another.
If you enjoyed Honeymoonish, you’ll likely find even more to enjoy here. Semaan, together with writers Ramy Ali and Eiad Saleh, have honed their craft – bringing in more laughs and more heart.
In the Gulf region, the romantic comedy is largely a new genre. That may be why an accomplished actor such as Boushehri, for example, doesn’t seem entirely comfortable here, with some of the gravitas he brings to his more dramatic roles diminished by the material. It’s an entirely different skill set, after all. Matthew McConaughey may make it look easy, but it’s not.
With this kind of thing, you learn as you go. And part of that growth process is not just making the story work on its own – it’s finding out how to make the formula jive in an entirely different culture, with its own sense of humour, value system and storytelling tropes.
Part of what made Honeymoonish so interesting to watch was the way it failed to match one culture to another. At times, its jokes would have felt more at home in a 1990s Farrelly brothers movie than in a Gulf comedy, where racy humour is basically unheard of.
In Groom and Two Brides, however, it feels as though more thought has been given to the cultural context in which it was made. Boundaries are pushed, to be sure, but the jokes feel more locally authentic, the situations more respectful of regional norms. It feels less like a movie that could have taken place anywhere and more a story that could only have come from the Gulf.
Part of the push-and-pull is because these films are made in conjunction with Netflix, which has at times struggled to calibrate its regional output to local audiences while also creating content with global appeal. But with each project, lessons have clearly been learnt – and you can see many of them applied here.
In the case of Groom and Two Brides, even if you’re discovering the film on the other side of the world, you’re likely to be comforted by the tropes, eased by its zippy watchability, and amused by committed performances from actors clearly having the time of their lives with material far outside their comfort zones. You’ll learn something about the culture, too, while perhaps seeing similarities with your own – proof again that cultural exchange often happens most effectively through the seemingly frivolous.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
All in all, both films are successful enough at what they set out to do. Cliches are cliches, after all, because cliches work.
But where Honeymoonish flirted too much with imitation, Groom and Two Brides finds its own rhythm – proof that the Gulf romcom might just be ready for its close-up.
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
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The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
