Yo, Potro

Being a fan of "Club de Cuervos," I was highly disappointed in this spin-off. For those of you familiar with the film, this short film revolves around Argentinian goalie Potro. While he makes for an interesting and likable character in "Club de Cuervos," his role as protagonist in "Yo, Potro" quickly grows stale. I am not even sure why this movie was made, for it does little to expand upon the foundation built in the original show.

The plot revolves around Potro returning to his homeland of Argentina to crash his younger brother's wedding (who is a comparably more-famous soccer star) after being fired from Mexican soccer team the Pumas. Along the way, he not only struggles to be accepted by his family, but also struggles with his self-identity as an Argentinian, having spent the last several years of his life in Mexico and having built his soccer career there.

Right off the bat, some of the most likable characters from the original show (namely Luis Gerardo Méndez's character Chava Iglesias) are completely absent. The "mockumentary" format is unoriginal and unjustifiable. There are several off-color and even racist remarks made by Potro which are supposed to be funny. Worst of all, Potro makes a number of bad decisions throughout the film, and, despite what ominous music in the background may lead us to believe, never has to face the consequences of his actions.

Unless you are a die-hard fan of "Club de Cuervos" as I consider myself, do yourself a favor and do not watch this. It literally adds nothing to the original series, unlike the other spin-off, "The Ballad of Hugo Sanchez." The ending of this movie was highly disappointing and left me feeling ripped-off, despite it having been on Netflix. There were some funny moments (Potro's sketchy, scruffy chauffeur/talent agent who lives in his car makes for an entertaining character), but overall, there were no stand-out moments that had me genuinely laughing. There were also some heartwarming moments which lead us to believe that Potro and his brother weren't such bad people after all. Still though, I am not sure what message the makers of this movie were trying to convey. Go watch the "Ballad of Hugo Chavez" instead of wasting your time with this one, and if you haven't already, watch "Club de Cuervos"!

When I saw this movie I was really sad When I finish to see it I was like a goat jumping arround, the movie was funny in the start to end I really enjoy the humor of Potro he do a really good interpretation of the character I don't know why the movie have a bad evaluation if you wan't to lough 50 minutes this is your movie.

Yes, that's what I said. It is a masterpiece. Perhaps difficult to understand if Spanish isn't your first language, but the level of nuance in the telling of the family dynamics are all but too relatable. No, I don't tend to strip at weddings or anything of that nature but like most great art you aren't meant to take it on the nose. Potro, still funny as ever, became much more than that. His incredible range of emotion glistens and makes this character so three dimensional. Potro isn't perfect... we know that, but his huge heart makes you only want to root for the fella. The screenwriting coupled with the incredible acting and cinematography makes you just want more from what is an incredibly satisfying emotional roller coaster. The way it's shot is brilliant and really adds to what feels like real life. Even with some of the hyperboles contained and the obvious situation that this is a mockumentary you can't help but feel that you were witnessing someone's real life because of the raw emotion that it contains. The acting is so superb, really delivers on the idea that nothing was rehearsed, and it was all happening as it was with the incredible nuanced line deliveries. Bravo.

The strongest aspect about Club de Cuervos is their leading characters, Isabella and Chava Iglesias are messy but likeable, you comprehend the reason why they do the things they do, and even if they messed it up, they however try to arrange things or do something good in their perspectives.

La Balada de Hugo Sanchez included a little bit weaker lead character but at least the cast were more extent so they compensate this with the more sympathetic characters and their dynamics.

But Yo, Potro, doesn't have any of this. His leading character is a good comic relief and a charming in the context within Club de Cuervos. Outside the original show and in his own movie, Potro is just a terrible person who mess things up and it doesn't care about anything except for himself. The story is boring, the fact that is a Mockumentary makes it worse and the rest of the cast is so forgettable that basically you forget their names after you watch the movie.

The moral of this movie is... Not because you character is beloved in your show it means he will be a good protagonist for a movie.