You might read a title like That’s Amor and say to yourself, “That sounds familiar. . . .”  Likely, you’re thinking of the famous Dean Martin song, “That’s Amore,” (1953).  To perhaps ameliorate some of the confusion, the movie has the Spanish spelling, whereas the song goes with the Italian.  This makes sense when you consider that Dean Martin’s family immigrated from Italy, and the leading man in That’s Amor, Matias (Isaac Gonzalez Rossi) hails from Spain.  When considering these two cultures and the film, the only thing that saddened me was that they did not explain the Catholic roots of La Noche de San Juan, which comes towards the end.  I do not plan on doing so to a great degree, but know that the Feast of St. John the Baptist, which is what they are celebrating, has a religious connotation that goes unnoticed in the proceedings.  It is my job to notice such things.

Sofia’s (Riley Dandy) job at the beginning of That’s Amor is as an assistant to the head of a graphic design firm, Becky (Christina Moore).  Sofia’s desire is to move into the more practical side of the industry.  However, when she tentatively presents her work in the hopes of achieving that promotion, Becky instead fires her.  It is the beginning of a bad day for Sofia.  Upon getting home and trying to inform her boyfriend, Richard (Bryan Craig), that she had been let go, she discovers that he has been in bed with another woman.  As Sofia is leaving, disgusted and hurt, she gets her jacket caught in the door, causing her to fall down the stairs of the apartment building and break a bone in her lower leg.  Two weeks later, she is waking up at mom’s, Lanie (Nancy Lenehan), house with a walking boot and a lot of regret.  In order to get Sofia out of the house, Lanie all but forces her daughter to come to a Zumba class despite the injury.  While the older folk gyrate, Sofia sits to the side feeling sorry for herself.  Realizing that more is needed for the newly-turned-thirty-year-old woman, Lanie enrolls them in a Spanish cooking class.  Sofia resists as much as she can, and has to be tricked into going to the restaurant on the first day of the course.  Seeing the struggles of a lady with crutches, Matias does the gentlemanly thing and helps Sofia out of the car.  It should not come as a surprise that he is one of the chefs that will be helping to teach them to cook.  He is there visiting his uncle, Guillermo (Daniel Edward Mora), who is the head chef at El Corazón.  From the start, it is evident that Lanie, as well as the establishment’s maître d’, Viviana (Arlene Tur), are trying to push Matias and Sofia together.  The effort only serves to further annoy Sofia, who protests that the last thing in which she is interested is love.  Still, later that evening she goes out with an old friend of hers, Olivia (Kimberley Drummond), and the Spanish omelet Sofia made is still on her mind.  Olivia finds it strange that Sofia would attempt such an order.  Of course, as they are leaving, Matias shows up at the same bar and is confused by Sofia’s description of the chicken fingers she instead ate.  The following week, Lanie claims she is not feeling well and basically makes Sofia go to the class by herself.  Because Sofia does not have her partner, Guillermo pairs her with Matias.  She has more fun than she expects with Matias.  The following day, she returns for lunch and they talk some more, getting to know one another better.  In the course of their conversation, she discusses her work and he reveals his dreams of opening his own restaurant.  She offers to come up with a logo for his potential business, but it involves learning more details about him.  It is a less than subtle hint that they should spend more time together, and that happens the following day.  The evening culminates in them doing things that a practicing Catholic should avoid.  It is a wonderful night for them, but there is a hiccup, as there always is in these stories: Richard.  He has come back to apologize for his actions, giving her a necklace as part of saying sorry.  It is yet another sign that he is not right for Sofia because of her distaste for that kind of jewelry, and part of what convinces her to spend more time with Matias.  However, at the next class, there are two surprise visitors: Richard and Matias’ sometimes European girlfriend, Irina (Olga Safari).  Irina demands Matias’ attention, but Sofia has no such illusions about Richard.  Matias tries to tell Sofia and Irina means nothing to him, but Sofia does not feel like she owes him anything.  Besides, he will be leaving in a few days to return to Spain.  Thus, she takes the next few days getting her life back on track, visiting friends and applying to graphic design schools in order to further her career.  She also has more time with Lanie, with whom we find out that Sofia meeting Matias was not a random event.  It is also clear that Sofia has not stopped thinking about Matias.  For the last class, she asks Viviana as to Matias’ whereabouts.  Sofia is told that he has decided to depart a few days early.  In order to prevent this, Viviana drives Sofia to the airport where they are able to intercept him before he goes through security.  Not only does he agree to not go that day, she tells him that she has gotten into a graphic design school in Spain.  We close with the celebrating La Noche de San Juan and the beginning of a new life.

The fiesta of La Noche de San Juan at the end of That’s Amor involves writing down ambitions for the new year and burning them in a fire.  I know I said I would not be describing this further, but it bears a little more discussion.  It is also related to letting go of past troubles.  The day on which it is celebrated, June 23^rd, is also significant as being close to the summer solstice.  Thus, it has some pagan roots as well, despite it being meant to honor St. John the Baptist, who announced the coming of Jesus.  With this in mind, despite its non-Catholic connections, we can see how this relates to the plot.  Indeed, La Noche de San Juan would have made for a better title, but I digress.  For much of the story, Sofia is holding onto the hurt caused by Richard breaking up with her.  It is remarkable how much we cling to things that hurt us.  In a way, it is good that God created us in this way.  Like a broken bone or a cut, the ache inside us is a defense mechanism telling us to avoid such situations.  Where it becomes a problem is when we do not allow ourselves to move on because being in such a state is safe.  When we do not become entangled with others, there is little need to worry about a repeat of such emotional turmoil.  God desires us to do more, to not just leave behind our hurt, but to trust in Him more fully.  Sadly, the film has Sofia trusting in herself more, but there is a Christian way of looking at what she does.  Instead of chasing after men, she reclaims the person God intended her to be.  Such efforts are always a good idea.

As for watching That’s Amor, I am not sure if you would call it a good idea.  It is not a bad one, but it is not terribly original.  Also, I watched this on a Friday during Lent, so it made me even more hungry than I would be, normally.