A 90s Revival That Falls Flat

I still remember the countless hours I spent playing with my friends and those iconic Barbie and Ken dolls back in the 90s. We'd set up elaborate houses, create families and clans, and I was always the main character, Mariana, with Luis Alberto as my love interest. Later, they were replaced by the characters from 'Just Maria'. It's like the world is experiencing a wave of nostalgia for the 80s and 90s right now, and that's exactly what's happening with the streaming platforms - a remake of the 90s hit 'Riches Only Cry' has dropped.

The original series was shot in 1979, but it didn't arrive in our country until 1991. The new version came out in 2022, and it hit screens in April 2023. Naturally, the titles are identical.

What's the deal with the 2022 series 'Riches Only Cry'?

This is a full-on remake, with a similar overall plot, but with modern twists. Mariana's no longer a farm girl who's just escaped from the fields - she's now working as a cashier at a supermarket. Despite coming from the same background, she's got no formal education and struggles with her taste, but she's a self-made woman: she works, studies, pays her own rent, and manages everything on her own without any help.

The story's the same as in the original: Mariana and Luis Alberto's love, their unequal relationship, and all that jazz.

It feels like the new version of 'Rich People Cry Too' has its share of beautiful and complex characters. I'm particularly drawn to the negative heroine. Here's what the show's description says about the main character, Mariana:

Mariana is a smart and humble woman who's been left without a family or a roof over her head after a tragedy. She's barely scraping by, but one day she saves the life of a stranger - who turns out to be Alberto Salvaterra, a wealthy businessman. As a thank you, he offers her a job and invites her to live in his mansion, where she'll have everything she needs. It's there that she meets Alberto's son, Luis. Luis is a spoiled young man who's blowing through his inheritance on reckless spending and constantly at odds with his father.

At first, Mariana and Luis's relationship seems strained, but as they get to know each other, they start to fall in love. Of course, their different social status creates a huge divide between them. They'll have to navigate some tough challenges, including public disapproval, betrayals, and even danger - like the mysterious kidnapping that's been going on.

I have to say, the new version of 'Rich People Cry Too' has its share of beautiful and complex characters.I'm particularly drawn to the negative heroine. Here's what the show's description says about the main character, Mariana:

Mariana is a smart and humble woman who's been left without a family or a roof over her head after a tragedy. She's barely scraping by, but one day she saves the life of a stranger - who turns out to be Alberto Salvaterra, a wealthy businessman. As a thank you, he offers her a job and invites her to live in his mansion, where she'll have everything she needs. It's there that she meets Alberto's son, Luis. Luis is a spoiled young man who's blowing through his inheritance on reckless spending and constantly at odds with his father.

At first, Mariana and Luis's relationship seems strained, but as they get to know each other, they start to fall in love. Of course, their different social status creates a huge divide between them. They'll have to navigate some tough challenges, including public disapproval, betrayals, and even danger - like the mysterious kidnapping that's been going on.

Does the new version of 'Rich People Cry Too' hook you?

No, and for several reasons.

The world has changed, and what we used to watch in the USSR, with no such entertainment available, is no longer relevant today.The series may have been transplanted to our time, but they didn't adapt it to meet the demands of modern viewers. The visuals have changed, but the main approach remains the same - trashy drama.The characters behave like they did in Mexican soap operas from the 80s. They don't talk normally - it's either non-stop hysteria or over-the-top excitement and fake 'immediacy'. They get worked up over anything, and no one bothers to make it believable. It's like watching a show about hysterical women. Even in modern series, we don't see this level of melodrama anymore.🎉 Do you empathize with the characters?

Sorry, but who can empathize with them? The plot and characters are a collection of the worst and most outdated cliches. It's all about exploiting emotions at their most intense. We've got orphans, poverty, death, a poor but virtuous heroine, reckless characters with hearts of gold, a nanny playing the role of a mother, and more. It's all just a bunch of schemes, not at all like real people.

🎉 Is this soap opera as long as the one from 91?

No, this one has 60 episodes, while the 1991 version had 244. But if in the 90s a one-hour episode was digestible because there wasn't much else to watch, this one feels excruciatingly long by comparison.

🎉 The plot

The plot is weak, with predictable twists (and it's not just because we've seen the old series - I've forgotten most of the details).

Trashy...

I've gotta say, Veronica Castro was way older than her character. But in this series, the high school girls with that weird premature aging face thing are kinda awkward-looking too. Why cast a 32-year-old actress as a young girl?

And what's with the girl who's broke and has expensive hair extensions? Or the ones with the ridiculous hair for a crazy price? Rich girls have it tough when it comes to beauty - poor people just let their hair do its thing.

Of course, Cinderella gets a makeover at some point, but all this was with her since the days of the 'Piatyorka' cashier.

The Cast and Characters

The picture is beautiful, the costumes are interesting. The guys are straight out of a modern Turkish soap opera.

But, to be honest, it's the same old clichés here. A nod to fashion, I guess. To be frank, I just can't stand looking at the women - their faces are just not my cup of tea. I'm not one to judge someone's appearance, whether I like it or not, it's not something they can choose. I'm talking about the casting director's work here. It's like they specifically chose actresses who, to me, are just not pleasant to look at.

In the intro, they're photoshopped. And as soon as they start acting, it's all over.

Even the most luxurious hairstyles, stunning dresses, and polished interiors don't make the picture any more appealing to me.

I have to say, the male roles are distributed in a way that's more appealing to me. Although the guys are all pretty one-dimensional and smooth-looking. I think they were cast to appeal to 12-year-old girls.

I won't even bother breaking down the characters or the acting. Like I said, it's a bunch of cliches, unnatural faces, and over-the-top acting from the 80s.

The Verdict

This is a low-budget series with no taste (I'm not exactly known for my good taste in movies, but this is just ridiculous). I couldn't even watch more than a few episodes in the background.

Who's the target audience?

For nostalgic folks like me?

We're already grown-ups, and we needed a more nuanced adaptation. Without all these relics of the past and the crass approach.

For the younger generation?

I'm not sure if this outdated stuff would even interest them. They have different heroes, different stories. This is too naive and 'too negative', as my niece put it. She summed it up like this: 'Instead of action, it's just scandals and drama - why do I need that?'