‘The Red Envelope’ (2025) Netflix Movie Review - Humorous at First, Boring by the End

I started watching “The Red Envelope” with a lot of hope.  And I will admit, it looked bright at first. So here’s the plot: Titi was a fine young man who is sadly dead. He appears in his grandmother’s dream. In the dream, she saw a marriage ceremony taking place between Titi and another mysterious guy whose face she could not make out. This sets the stage clearly for us to know that Titi was gay. His grandmother, without wasting time, goes to a fortune teller and tells him about her dream. He informs her that Titi has some unresolved business from this life, as his death wasn’t a peaceful one. His grandmother recalls that before dying, Titi wished to get married, but his father didn’t approve of him being gay and marrying another man. And this is where you should expect the unexpected! The fortune teller tells her that she has to arrange a ghost wedding for Titi. But how? Which man will agree to marry a dead person, to be specific, a dead man? However, every problem has a solution. And the solution, I must admit, was hilarious. So the fortune teller tells her that she must cut some hair and nails of Titi, place them in a red envelope, and keep them somewhere. The man who picks up this envelope is Titi’s husband, who is chosen from the heavens above. Before you think, the heavens have already approved of this marriage, as the fortune teller informed us and the grandmother, that they have updated themselves on same sex marriage. What next? Our darling grandma gets to work by opening his grave and doing the needful.

Now this is where Menn comes into the picture. Menn is straight and works as an informant for the police. He wishes to become a cop. Not to mention, he is in love with Goi, a cop who helps him get the job of an informant. Although he is terrible at his role, he continues to dream of being a part of the police. Now coming back to the plot, one day, Menn, after causing chaos in the market, picks up the envelope hoping to find money. For those of you who don’t know, a red envelope contains money as per Chinese traditions. To his dismay, he finds nails and hair. Titi’s grandmother catches him in joy. But of course, Menn doesn’t agree to the marriage for obvious reasons. So he refuses to be a part of this ghost wedding. The rest of the day, Menn only encounters trouble and even fractures his hand. Many fortune tellers tell him that he is followed by a spirit, to which he firmly says that he doesn’t believe in these things. Finally, losing his destiny, he agrees to marry Titi. And thus we witness a ghost wedding between the dead and the living. By doing this, Menn is now able to see Titi’s ghost, which only he can see; no one else can. But here’s a question that might pop into your head- if this was Titi’s unresolved business, then why is he still roaming around in the world of humans? Is there more to what the eyes see? Is there another unfinished business for Titi, and most importantly, is Titi himself aware?

I will admit one thing: the movie is filled with humor. I loved the first part of it. It was moving fast and was good entertainment. We get to see the bond between Titi and Menn and how Menn crept out when he first saw Titi’s ghost. There are many such fun banters till the very end. So the humor department is checked.

But what doesn’t go well is that the movie slows down in between and becomes boring. This is the point where the makers dragged it for no reason. And here’s what I discovered: even if you fast-forward the movie, you will still understand what happened in the scenes you decided not to watch. The entire movie will still make sense in spite of you skipping some scenes just by joining a few dots. Now, let's accept how far and how much humor takes a plot? It can’t, and that’s the sign when you start getting bored even with some fun scenes.

Apart from that, the film is good with its dialogue and shows immense support towards same sex marriages.  Coming to acting, the cast is a natural when it comes to adding the fun elements. Specially, Putthipong Assaratanakul as Menn and Krit Amnuaydechkorn as Titi. They not only look cute, but also do justice to their acting. Their confused and unearthly bond looks great on screen. Without them, the movie wouldn’t be worth watching even half of what I watched.

To sum up, if you wish to watch something funny to drive away that mid-week gloom, this is your go-to watch. But yes, having patience is a must because in between, you will question not only the makers but also yourself for choosing it.

Final Score- [5/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Choudhuri
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times