Der perfekte Chef - Willkommen in der Familie

Fame and reputation is the priority of the boss with repeated spotlight shown on the wall of company awards. He takes huge pride and greatness of his achievements by indulging in all the fake commitments to his employees. They are not family, just resources to get things done. Last survey scene is so sarcastic with feminism, diversity and caring for elders in the company. All about balance. If not balanced, make it balanced. Like a bullet.

This movie manages to be both terrifically funny and very much down to earth at the same time. The story contains enough twists and turns expanding throughout an eventful week to keep you invested enough. But there comes Bardem and makes everything glorious just with his face and his amazingly expressive eyes. A great Spanish movie, I would dare to say it may be one of the finest of the year. Not to be missed!

1) If you wanna enjoy this movie, lower your expectations, this is not 10/10 or 9/10.

2) It's probably a comedy/drama movie, not dark enough to be a dark comedy. You will laugh, there are some hilarious moments, but this is not a comedy. There are also some dramatic moments, but it's not a drama either.

There is a "light tone", some underlying social commentary, but you will enjoy this regardless your political ideology. If you want to watch a movie that declares war against capitalism, this is not your movie.

3) Bardem gets all of the praise, and he is indeed very good, however, every actor here does a good job.

4) It is a good movie to spent 2 hours. Not a "must watch". First 20 minutes are boring. As it progresses, it is becoming more interesting and the pacing keeps getting better. Don't look for something great, and you will enjoy it.

The writing of the dialogue is terrific. Every carefully-scripted word and situation is loaded with bad blood, mercilessly shelling out the miseries of labor relations in Spain. Bardem's performance as a paternalistic and cronyistic businessman is superlative. A necessary condition to fully enjoy the film, since everything revolves around him. A tad slow development of the story notwithstanding (stylistically justified around a metaphor of balancing the scales?), we are in for a ride.

El buen patrón (The Good Boss) is a sarcastic and brilliant tragicomedy about power, work, human relationships, submission, infidelity, dignity, injustice, and balance. Masterly written & directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, with a stunning and brilliant performance by Javier Bardem, a stellar supporting cast and great music by Zeltia Montes (with a melody that you will hum afterwards), El buen patrón will make you laugh, cry, enjoy, and reflect on the balances and imbalances of the working life, marriage, and power. 10/10.