Some Mondays are worse than others. However think about if Monday, not simply any Monday, however April Idiot’s Day saved exhibiting up once more. And once more. And once more. That’s the ridiculous (however sort of genius) premise behind Joyful Monday(s), Thailand’s newest comedy journey launched on Netflix in 2025. It’s a rom-com with a loop, a prank-crammed calendar glitch that traps its lazy however love-struck lead in an endlessly repeating Monday. The end result? Equal components absurd, heat, and just a bit bit unhinged in one of the best ways.
Let’s begin with Earth. Earth will not be your typical main man. He’s in his eighth yr of college, which is already a comedic setup in itself. Image a man so allergic to commencement that the universe simply throws its palms up and tosses him right into a time loop. Earth is the man who’s failed extra lessons than he can rely, and but, as an alternative of utilizing his infinite Mondays to turn out to be a greater pupil, he’s acquired one plan: win over Sai Mai, a junior he’s crushing on. It’s dumb. It’s charming. It’s precisely what you’d anticipate from somebody who treats life like an extended-working group venture they by no means signed up for.
The actual pleasure of the film is watching Earth try more and more chaotic schemes to impress Sai Mai. From pretend heroics to misfired pranks, every day reset begins off with promise and normally ends in social catastrophe. Sai Mai, for her half, is sharp, endearing, and refreshingly unimpressed. She’s not a prop in Earth’s private rom-com; she has her personal life, personal thoughts, and undoubtedly her personal opinions about being stalked by a person who appears to know a bit of an excessive amount of about her espresso order.
The supporting forged provides some pleasant unpredictability. Earth’s pals (and occasional frenemies) convey huge vitality to small moments. There’s a roommate who takes each loop as a brand new alternative to check out conspiracy theories, a professor who turns into extra terrifying the extra you see him, and a collection of campus aspect characters who appear to exist purely to make Earth’s life tougher, although normally in hilarious methods.
The movie doesn’t take itself too significantly and thank god for that. The comedy is quick and free, with jokes flying at you want confetti. Not all of them land, however most do particularly if you happen to’re into awkward humor, character-pushed silliness, and the occasional poop joke (this can be a time loop rom-com, in spite of everything). The recurring April Idiot’s Day setting is the right excuse for over-the-prime pranks and dangerous selections. The film leans into this tough, and generally a bit of too arduous. There are moments the place you need the loop to progress quicker or cease repeating the identical gag, but it surely at all times manages to drag you again in with a contemporary twist or surprisingly heartfelt second.
The place Joyful Monday(s) shines is in its emotional development. As Earth cycles by way of his by no means-ending day, he’s compelled to confront who he’s, somebody who hides behind jokes, avoids accountability, and might’t end what he begins. However slowly, and principally by way of embarrassment, he begins to develop. The movie by no means lets him off the hook too simply, which is refreshing. There’s no sudden heroic transformation. No huge character overhaul. Simply small, plausible moments of change, as Earth, regularly realizes that perhaps, simply perhaps, the issue isn’t the john,p it’s him.
Visually, the movie doesn’t go overboard with sci-fi results or flashy edits. The loop is performed straight, and that works. There’s a consistency to the setting that makes every new iteration really feel like a barely altered stage play. The filmmakers know their funds and play to their strengths. The actual shifts occur by way of performances and reactions, not CGI. It’s an method that retains issues grounded, even when the premise is looping into nonsense.
Now for the gripes: generally the film doesn’t know when to close up. A few gags stretch previous their expiry date, and never each scene earns its runtime. Earth’s immaturity, whereas humorous for some time, begins to tug within the center. There are a couple of false-ending moments the place you assume the loop has lastly taught him one thing, just for the film to circle again into one other hijink that feels prefer it may’ve been left on the reducing room flooring. The pacing may have been tighter. And whereas the supporting characters are nice enjoyable, a couple of of them verge on caricature with out a lot depth.
Nonetheless, regardless of these bumps, Joyful Monday(s) is a candy, foolish experience. It doesn’t attempt to be a cinematic masterpiece. It’s not right here to alter the world. However it’s right here to make you giggle, sometimes wince in secondhand embarrassment, and perhaps mirror a bit of on how you utilize your time, even when it isn’t looping without end.
It’s the sort of film you may watch on an precise Monday if you want one thing mild to undo the gloom. It’s additionally surprisingly rewatchable, which is oddly becoming, contemplating its premise. And by the tip, you may simply root for Earth not as a result of he deserves the lady or aces his lessons, however as a result of he lastly figures out how to not screw up the identical Monday, one final time.
Last Rating- [7/10]
Reviewed by – Anjali Sharma
Observe @AnjaliS54769166 on Twitter
Writer at Midgard Occasions
