Ed Mort

Anyone reading this review probably already knows that this film is based on a character created by Brazilian writer Luís Fernando Veríssimo as a parody of American detective stories. By the moment a film adaptation is made, however, it doesn't (or, at least, it shouldn't) matter whether you have read Veríssimo's stories or not, and regardless of how good Ed Mort might be on paper, the fact is that this film falls short of being successful. It's a shame, because the premise is great and some technical aspects are outstanding: the art direction is faultless and the quirky soundtrack by Arrigo Barnabé fits like a glove. Indeed, the screenplay itself is by no means bad, but the film is marred by dreadful performances. As a parody, it's only fair that they would try for caricature-like performances, but not a single cast member seems to have quite figured how to achieve it (yet Roseane Lima as Dayse arguably stands out as the worst performance here). The artificiality of the acting, instead of providing a comical hue, comes out as plain amateurism, which is intriguing, once most of these actors have been seen in much better shape on different occasions. Perhaps this is something non-(native)Portuguese speakers won't notice, but it makes the film annoying to the point of being almost unwatchable. Something must have caused director Alain Fresnot to lose his way and, as a domino effect, the whole cast went off the rails with him. Too bad.

"Ed Mort" is easily one of the funniest Brazilian comedies ever made, near perfect in everything. My only regret is to not have watched sooner, and I think a lot of audiences are missing out for reasons or simply prejudice against Brazilian cinema. Paulo Betti is flawless as the poor detective, created by Luis Fernando Veríssimo in several short stories in the early 1980's, and it's such a charismatic character that it's a little sad that a series of movies with him were never made. It's a rich comedy filled with great gags, jokes, cultural parodies but also manages to slip some social criticism. Basically, a film noir spoof immersed in a Brazilian context and attitude.

The title character is a down on luck and down on money detective that never gets a good case. He's equally brilliant and sloppy, easily seduced by beautiful women and gets into a lot of trouble. His adventure begins by following two missing persons cases that seems unrelated: one revolving Silva, a businessman master of disguises who probably saw too much in the industry he works; and the disappearance of a boy after attending a kids TV program led by the young Cibele (Cláudia Abreu). That TV host is a hysterical parody of Xuxa and her show at the time, but here it comes with a dark secret that will not be mentioned.

Mort is closely followed around by many mystery people and a police inspector (Otávio Augusto) destined to become head of security in São Paulo; gets blackmailed at times, and falls into some entrapments. The eccentric Silva appears in disguise impersonating singers Gilberto Gil, Cauby Peixoto and Chico Buarque, actress Luiza Tomé, actor José Mojica Marins (Coffin Joe) and host Marília Gabriela, who are all dubbed by the unmistakable voice of José Rubens Chachá. Those cameos alone are worth watching as they're all very fun and you never know in what capacity or situation they'll appear. The rendezvous between Ed and Luiza Tomé at the motel is priceless, with the previous scene being of Ed's brother-in-law (Wandi Doratiotto) taking him to the place by taxi cab.

Alain Fresnot delivered a comedy full of great humored moments, some thrilling bits and everything works without any wasted moments. It's a little predictable about the connection of both cases and the exact real mystery behind the children disappearances can be spot a mile away if you're an attentive viewer. But despite that, the film entertains a great deal as the script is mostly well written, and the performances are all glorious and fun to watch. Worth seeing again and again. 9/10.

Well, the movie is based on the character created by the writer Luis Fernando Verissimo, born in Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, and not by Miguel Paiva. Actually, Paiva made the Ed Mort's cartoon, but the character and texts are made by Verissimo. By the way, Ed Mort's chronicles are very good and funny, but the movie is not so good. Paulo Betty is the perfect actor to bring Ed to life. "Mort. Ed Mort". Is very impressive and real. Is very hard to imagine Voltaire in the corner of the room, looking to Ed, laughing. Maybe, if a rat could laugh... Some things have to been said about the film. Who don't know Verissimo's work may think that he write only comedies. Is not true. Luis Fernando is son of Erico Verissimo, that was a great gaucho (in Brasil, who born in Rio Grande do Sul is called "gaucho") writer. Erico wrote many best-sellers, like "O Tempo e o Vento", "Gato Preto em Campo de Neve", "Incidente em Antares". Luis Fernando write texts for many Brazilian newspapers, like "Zero Hora" and "Jornal do Brasil". Created other good comedy characters, like "Analista de Bagé" and "Velhinha de Taubaté".