‘Drawn Together’ Turns ‘The Bodyguard’ Into an Adult-Animation Romance on Prime Video

Prime Video has a new hit on its hands, and it comes with a familiar setup: a handsome bodyguard who falls for the woman he’s hired to protect. Drawn Together is a Spanish-language thriller that has climbed to the top of the Prime Video charts, and Decider‘s review is asking whether it’s worth your time.

The movie is based on a book, and there’s a sequel to that book. The film follows Marfil, played by Ester Expósito, the daughter of a wealthy Spanish businessman who attends college in New York City. Her only class is ballet, a nod to her late mother, who was a professional ballerina.

Attack Sets Up the Guard

Marfil is attacked, drugged, and briefly kidnapped in Central Park. She returns a day later, seemingly unharmed. The police dismiss it as drunken miscreants, but her father suspects his shady business dealings are involved. He hires Sebastián, played by Hugo Diego Garcia, to watch over her at all hours in her Manhattan apartment.

Sebastián trains Marfil in self-defense, and the two develop feelings for each other. The thriller and romance threads are supposed to feed each other, but the review suggests they don’t quite connect.

Bodyguard Reference Inside the Movie

The film leans heavily on its premise, and it even references the source material within itself. At one point, Marfil and Sebastián go to see a revival of The Bodyguard at Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill Cinemas. Sebastián protests, but Marfil insists, saying the theater is also showing An Officer and a Gentleman, but she prefers the Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston romance.

Half-and-Halfer Problem

The review calls Drawn Together a “half-and-halfer.” The romance and thriller elements feel mismatched, with the action interrupting the romance at its peak. The thriller material doesn’t last long enough to satisfy on its own.

Director Óscar Pedraza uses a yellowish-green tint throughout the film and drops soundtrack cues that don’t make sense, including a heavy use of “White Rabbit” during the climax. The action sequences, like a runaway-car chase, are described as haphazardly directed.

Twist That Isn’t a Twist

The movie sets up a twist in its third act, but it reveals itself as an unfinished Part One. The sequel is called Drawn Apart, and the review notes that some audiences may enjoy this serialized, TV-like approach, but others will be annoyed to sit down to watch a movie that’s only half the story.

Sex Scene That Waits

There is desire-based teasing early in the film, but the sex scene itself is delayed until the final stretch. When it finally arrives, it’s mostly a bra-on, shorts-unremoved affair. The characters do eventually get naked, but the lighting is so dim and the scene so brief that the reviewer calls it barely worth the 75-minute wait.

Why It Works as a Hit

The review argues that Drawn Together makes sense as a major living-room hit on paper. It combines a straightforward romance with small-scale action that streams seem to favor, much like the films of Jason Statham. It offers something for moms, dads, and YAs all in one package.

The film also benefits from Expósito’s big, expressive eyes, which make Marfil fun to watch even as she goes through the motions.

Commute Problem

The movie also features absurdly fast travel between Spain and Manhattan. The trip happens with almost no sweat twice in the last 40 minutes, which strains credibility.

Our Call

The verdict is to skip it. The review acknowledges that there are worse Bodyguard-style movies out there, and it points out that The Bodyguard is arguably a little worse in terms of how slow it drags. Drawn Together is shorter, but it’s only part one of two.

Strictly on its own terms, you can safely skip Drawn Together.

The review frames the film as a pleasant, if uneven, entry in the genre. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s a movie that promises more than it delivers, especially once the sequel reveal lands.

Drawn Together · Ester Expósito · movie review · Prime Video · romance thriller