In my opinion, "Sai de Baixo" was one of the best Brazilian comic series ever. When the series ended in 2013, at a time when it was already worn-out, the public, who had supported it for more than a decade, wanted more. Five years later, the cast went back to made this film which, more than a comedy, is their tribute to their own characters, who have become almost a second skin in their lives, and also to the audience who made "Sai de Baixo" a remarkable hit.
The film had a problem right from the start: managing to please the series' audience, which had very high expectations, and winning over its own fans... and let's be honest: it was a failure, even by Brazilian standards. Brazilian cinema has problems, but it has always been very skilled at comedy. However, I couldn't laugh once. Yes, I was a regular watcher of the series, but I was not, I believe, very excited about this film. I know there are excellent films that continue a successful TV series: "Downton Abbey" is a good example, with the film fully honoring the TV material. However, "Downton Abbey" kept the dialogue and script team that worked on the series, something that "Sai de Baixo" couldn't do because each episode was written by an author.
Coming in 2019, the film seems to have been delayed until the last minute by everyone. There was a desire to do it, but when the cast is almost getting together again, something always happened and ruined it. I think the decisive moment that triggered them was the death of Márcia Cabrita in 2017. She had been ill for a few years, and her death must have made them aware that their lives were finite and, one day, it wouldn't be possible to do the film considering the age of some essential actors such as Luiz Gustavo or Aracy Balabanian. Particularly committed to the film, Miguel Fallabela takes on much of the writing and dialogues, helping to make the project possible. The problem is that he couldn't make something as funny as the TV series, and the film fell far short of the original material. Even so, I can't condemn him: he tried hard and, at least, the film serves as a tribute and farewell.
And so this film was created as a tribute, a piece of entertainment and a moment of goodbye. The characters return, the building is the same and the plot, a little silly, sees Vavatur resurrected for one last disastrous tourist trip. Of the core characters, Caco, Magda and Ribamar are the ones who appear the most and move the plot. Due to health problems or other commitments, Vavá and Cassandra (played by Gustavo and Aracy) appear little, and their absence is palpable. To pad things out in the cast, even more diminished due to the illness of Cláudia Rodrigues (who gave life to the maid Sirene in the series) and the refusal of Cláudia Jimenez (who left the series in protest against the number of fat jokes she received on stage), new characters were included such as Caquinho (son of Magda and Caco who, in the series, was played by an animatronic doll and a small boy after), played by Rafael Canedo, and Cibalena, Vavá's new maid, played by Cacau Protásio.
The actors do everything they can for the film, but the ones who shine are Fallabela, who wrote the material thinking a lot about his own character, and Marisa Orth, who has all the time and material she needs to make Magda even dumber than she was. Despite sometimes sounding irritating, Tom Cavalcante uses his comedic talent to not fall behind his colleagues, but I believe he had room to improvise much of what his character says and does, as his great talent is acting in this way, introducing anarchy into the plot. Poor Aracy Balabanian, who we saw in the series bursting out laughing at everything her colleagues did - mainly Fallabela, who martyred her on stage - is still unable to hold her seriousness, but she will always be a great lady of Brazilian drama. Luiz Gustavo appears little and does little in the film, but we all realize that he is no longer in good health at this point in his life. The other actors stick to the basics, they are there to pad thing out, and Rafael Canedo is the only one who makes an extra effort.
The film smells of farewell, from beginning to end. It's the end of the line for these characters, and the actors who brought them to life are responsible for closing that door with a smile of accomplishment. It was also a farewell to Luiz Gustavo and Aracy Balabanian from cinema, where they will not perform any film again. We, the public, thank them for everything.
