Created by the same author duo, Pattaranad Bhiboonsawade and Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn (the second name also wrote the script SuckSeed, May Who ?, and Homestay), The Con-Heartist flows the same DNA as Friend Zone (2019). A romantic comedy, in which Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul aka Baifern, plays a beautiful woman with an attitude (for lack of a better term) “less beautiful”. But that’s where the key formula captures the hearts of the audience. Best Movie Site
Baifern plays Ina, who through a vlog titled “Ina’s Review”, gives tips on how to survive with a financial shortage. From picking up office toilet paper, how to save powder, to arranging the supply of bananas by color, all was shown by the girl whose 80% of her income was used to pay these installments and debt. The script provides a series of ridiculous scenarios, director Mez Tharatorn (ATM: Er Rak Error, I Fine … Thank You Love You) is good at packaging visual humor, but without Baifern’s totality of “humiliating yourself”, the opening would not be as effective as catching the audience’s attention to Ina.
Not only the audience, a con artist named Tower (Nadech Kugimiya) is attracted to him. Not interested in the context of falling in love (well, not yet), but interested in tricking things to drain the contents of Ina’s savings. Luckily, with her experience as a former bank employee, Ina was able to thwart Tower’s plans, even using it for revenge. Ina’s target is none other than her ex-boyfriend, Petch (Thiti Mahayotaruk).
Apparently, Ina’s financial collapse was the result of Petch, who tricked her. The Petch was a type of leech, living off the drain on the savings of wealthy older women. Together with Tower, Ina intends to trick Petch back. Participating in their plan are Nongnuch (Kathaleeya McIntosh), Ina’s former teacher who is in trouble for money, and Jone (Pongsatorn Jongwilak), Tower’s brother who is also an accomplished con man. Of course in the end, the seeds of romance grow between Ina and Tower.
Unfortunately, The Con-Heartist script is not optimal in terms of dividing the focus of three branches of storytelling: fraud, romance, Ina’s upheaval. The romantic element becomes a victim. We are hardly treated to sweet, intimate moments, which show how the relationship between the two main characters gradually develops. If it weren’t for Baifern and Kugimiya’s individual charms, as well as their solid chemistry, it would be hard to believe the love of their characters. Movie Review
Regarding Ina’s inner conflict, where she felt inferior because she considered herself stupid, did not get adequate exploration. The difference is that the shortfall is paid off by the “stabbing” scene, which cleverly changes the impact of Ina’s Review, from a place for us to laugh at Ina’s stupidity, to become a sympathy-attracting medium. If explored further, it will appear that The Con-Heartist is not just a story about “getting back at an ex’s deed”, but a journey of a woman to find her value again, after questioning it as a result of male crime.
Regarding his deception, even though the film is not careful in describing the plans of the characters so that it often sounds more complicated than it should be, it is able to provide a high level of entertainment. His humor-humor abilities provoke laughter, through the absurd style typical of Thai comedy (especially GDH). Most importantly, even though it’s full of ridiculousness, The Con-Heartist manages to make every obstacle its character experiences in the middle of the action, no matter how small, a source of tension. Top Movie