I Can't Live Without You review: A shallow exploration of addiction through simple comedy

I Can't Live Without You is a Spanish-language comedy film directed by Santiago Requejo, who co-wrote it with José Gabriel Lorenzo. It stars Adrian Suar and Paz Vega in lead roles.

The film tells the story of Carlos, played by Adrian Suar, whose life revolves around his phone. The situation has got so bad that his wife Adela, played by Paz Vega, decides to leave him. Can Adrian get over his phone addiction and save his marriage? This is the overall skeleton of the film.

I Can't Live Without You is a simple comedy with predictable tropes set around a serious problem of the modern world. The film also stars Ramón Barea, Raquel Guerrero, Eva Santolaria, and Pepe Carrasco.

---

I Can't Live Without You is about phone addiction

Adrian Suar and Paz Vega (Image via Netflix)

Carlos is an important man with a big job and a great family, which includes his beautiful wife, Adela, and two teenagers. But what he cares about the most in his life is his phone. He isn't loyal to one phone, of course. When he finds out about an offer for a new model, he rushes to buy it. Unfortunately, a thief steals his new partner, forcing him to buy his old phone at a higher rate.

A frustrated Carlos borrows his wife's phone at her sister's wedding. Now, she cannot click the pictures when her sister asks because Carlos won't stop his work call. Adela has had enough. She snatches the phone from his hand and tosses it in a pond. Carlos couldn't bear it and jumped into the pond to save it from drowning.

When Adela finally decides to leave him after this incident, Carlos begins to realize that he has a phone addiction. He decides to attend a meeting for people with similar problems.

The film touches upon the fact that how our fears and insecurities make us phone addicts. But it never fully delves deep into it. The meetings seem like they are there to create awareness, but they are just for plot convenience and fail to create any substantial impact.

---

I Can't Live Without You is a typical Adrian Suar comedy

Adrian Suar's Carlos is a typical Adrian Suar character, clumsy and selfish, but overall a good guy. The popular television actor has mastered this archetype in his long career. He tries to carry the film with his confused and hasty look, but the plot is too predictable to keep viewers engaged.

For Paz Vega, known for S*x and Lucia, Rambo: Last Blood, Acts of Vengeance, etc, the character of Adela is a walk in the park. She plays a doctor whose husband neglects her, misses her children's farewell before college, and embarrasses her by apologizing to her through a speaker at her workplace.

Adela has been married to Carlos for over two decades, yet he is more concerned about looking at his phone first thing in the morning than spending romantic time with her. She decides to divorce him, setting the entire plot of I Can't Live Without You in motion, hoping to win over the electronic device and get her husband back.

However, as a viewer, it's hard to care for either of the two characters for long, as the film doesn't allow viewers to fully into their lives for fear of losing comedic moments. This messy showcase of Carlos' life has occasional humour and emotions. People who just want to get through 95 minutes of their lives should check this one out.

---

I Can't Live Without You is currently streaming on Netflix.