Lovely Movie Review: A flying fantasy that never quite takes off
Lovely(1.5 / 5)
A talking fly befriends a hapless youngster in jail. It is an oddball premise that should at least intrigue. After all, SS Rajamouli's Eega managed to spin a similarly outlandish idea into an entertaining, emotionally resonant fantasy without its insect protagonist needing to speak. In contrast, Dileesh Karunakaran's Lovely gives its titular fly a sweet voice (Sivaangi Krishnakumar) but ends up clumsy, overwrought, and lost in confusion about tone and purpose.
Director: Dileesh Karunakaran
Cast: Mathew Thomas, Prashanth Murali, Aswathy Manoharan, Manoj K Jayan, Ganga Meera, Baburaj
The narrative centres on Bonnie (Mathew Thomas), a disinterested young man who takes a government job solely as a stepping stone toward his dream of migrating to Canada. This familiar setup could have been explored meaningfully, but the film quickly ditches any depth for a baffling series of random events. All of these events seem designed only to push Bonnie toward jail, where he meets Lovely, the talking fly. The result is a disjointed rollercoaster where nothing flows naturally and every plot beat is a forced detour. The film’s progression until Bonnie meets Lovely is a masterclass in randomness. Events appear and disappear without purpose, from workplace blunders to romantic subplots endorsing infidelity to domestic discord. This patchwork of detours only slows the narrative and leaves the viewer wondering what the point is. To its credit, the film opens with a disclaimer that says, "You’re about to enter someone else’s dream," which may be a preemptive excuse for its narrative mess. But the problem runs deeper than logic. The film fails to establish emotional stakes. Bonnie’s leap from casual youth to obsessed companion to an insect is sudden and unearned. Their relationship is supposed to be the heart of the film, yet it feels abrupt and hollow without proper development.
Mathew Thomas tries his best to act genuinely moved by an insect with a traumatic past. He brings loose charm in the early scenes and taps into emotional vulnerability later. But the script offers no natural progression. One moment, he is mildly amused by a talking fly; the next, he acts as if his entire life depends on it. That shift never feels organic. Supporting actors like Ganga Meera, Manoj K Jayan, Prashanth Murali, and Aswathy Manoharan show up, deliver functional performances, and vanish just as quickly. They all hover on the periphery without leaving any meaningful impression.
Technically, the film has a few strengths. Aashiq Abu’s cinematography, soft-focused and warm-toned, adds a lucid, dreamlike visual palette suited to the premise. The visual effects, especially the animated fly, are clean but too sterile to feel truly integrated into the world. Considering the budget, it is a decent effort. The much-touted 3D element is a non-event, offering no real enhancement to the experience. Where Lovely utterly collapses is in its writing. The script reads like a first draft nobody bothered to polish. Scenes drag without rhythm, tonal shifts jar the experience, and the dialogue is painfully on the nose. What could have been a surreal exploration of loneliness, friendship, or even redemption reduces to juvenile banter and clunky exposition. Subplots emerge only to pad the runtime. Even those that seem promising fizzle out with no payoff.
By the time the climax arrives, Lovely has thoroughly tested your patience. Attempts at emotional catharsis feel unearned, and the supposedly feel-good ending lands more bizarre than uplifting. Even worse, a disturbing third-act choice by the protagonist is handled so offhandedly that it severs any remaining empathy for him. It is a shame. There is a bit of charm buried in the concept. But what we get is a film that mistakes quirk for substance and sentimentality for depth. In the end, Lovely is less a soaring adventure and more a clumsy crash landing.