Casa de mi padre

Scheming on a way to save their father's ranch, the Alvarez brothers find themselves in a war with Mexico's most feared drug lord.

First of all, proper credit must be given to Will Ferrell. Love him, hate him or somewhere in between, he gave this role his all. Despite knowing it would not be his biggest hit, he plunged in and actually learned to speak Spanish for the part (or at least enough to fake it).

There is plenty of good humor here, from the white mountain lion to the DEA agent played by Nick Offerman (who is awesome just by being on screen), and we must not forget the butt-centric romance scene. Not sure what was up with that, but well played.

And not only is this a good comedy, it is a good story, too. Maybe it is stereotypical to have a story about Mexican drug dealers and American drug agents... maybe that gives the wrong impression of Mexico. But it makes for an interesting conflict.

"Casa de mi Padre" is a bizarre experiment--the sort of picture that shows that Will Ferrell has made a LOT of money over the years and now he just wants to branch out and have some fun. After all, why else would he agree to star in a Spanish-language comedy?! And, for the most part, the films is played VERY seriously while insanely stupid things happen all around him. It's very surreal and very odd--and the sort of experiment many will find baffling and unfunny. I liked it...but I certainly wouldn't like a steady diet of such films. My attitude is that this is one worth seeing...once.

This film is a cheesy yet stylish send-up of Mexican films. Compared to most Americans, I've seen a ton--but my experience with Mexican films is limited--with mostly el Santo and the Aztec Mummy films of the 50s, 60s and 70s. At times, it looks a bit like a combination of a Sam Peckinpah film, a VERY stylish commercial for cologne and a cheesy mess--complete with VERY unrealistic backgrounds, horses and the Jaguar King--all things you really have to see for yourself! It also is the only film I know of where there is an apology in the middle of the movie--by the second assistant director! Overall, it's VERY dry, very bizarre and a bit funny. But, as I said before, it's certainly NOT the sort of joke most will enjoy--it takes a special person to appreciate this ultra-strange film.

By the way, be sure to watch the making of featurette on the DVD--it makes the movie a lot more interesting to watch.

I am a fan of spoof movies like Mel Brooks, Naked Gun, Loaded Weapon, Airplane 1&2, Top Secret, Hot Shots 1&2, Mafia and Scary Movie 3&4 so I was not phased at all by this movie. Casa de mi padre is a spoof of soap operas, the ones in Latin America in particular, and westerns. The movie does ridiculous stuff such as obvious fake backgrounds, revealing the camera crew in reflections and obviously fake animals in the scenery.

Making Will Ferrell the lead works since he specializes in comedy and is not a native Spanish speaker which makes it funny. He spoke very well, and I understood everything so it was not annoying. He was fortunate to be surrounded by native speakers to coach him and have actors from Mexico that could teach him Mexican slang since Will Ferrell's character is from Mexico.

Gael García Bernal was a total scene stealer. I know him for only his serious roles in Amores Perros and The Motorcycle Diaries so it was odd seeing him be so funny.

Some of the silliness dragged on a bit, and I wanted to fast forward. The joke was delivered, I enjoyed it but please not stretch it out to a whole minute.

This is a spoof and in Spanish and has Will Ferrell. I enjoy all 3 so it was a lot of fun for myself, but I understand why it is limited release.

This sounded like a weird and yet also very interesting project. A Will Ferrell comedy that was different from most of his other work, completely in Spanish and set in Mexico. But let me just say that the idea and concept of this movie sounded better and more interesting than the eventual movie was to watch.

Comedy-wise the movie isn't all that clever or funny to watch. It's mostly recycling the same stuff, over and over again, throughout the entire movie. It's a bit disappointing that this movie wasn't being a big more creative with its comedy at times.

But I have a feeling that this movie is being very referential to Mexican cinema and I have seen basically very little of those movies, so most of the stuff is going over my head. If you're into Mexican cinema, I'm sure this movie would be a far more hilarious one for you to watch. It will probably also help you to understand certain storytelling aspects and techniques behind the movie better than I did.

But still, the movie could had been a real better one for everybody to watch, if it had a more tight script in it. The story in this movie really isn't strong enough and it doesn't get you involved with any of its characters or their story lines.

I still really respect this movie for being different. It still works in some ways and it obviously is also a refreshing one. I was also definitely impressed with Will Ferrell in a Spanish talking role. He did a real great job with it and further more was also holding back a bit more with his usual comical routines, that are starting to annoy more and more people now days.

But the movie has some more great acting and actors in it, mostly REAL Mexican ones. I wish I could see Diego Luna in more big movies, since I have always liked this guy and his acting. He also probably was the best thing about this movie. Also Gael García Bernal plays a really good role in this movie. It actually also made me wonder if I would had perhaps liked this movie better if it got done more as a straight-forward action-drama. It would had suited the actors and its story perhaps a tad bit better all and I do believe it would had made the movie a more compelling one to watch.

An interesting experiment that is not a failure but nothing too impressive or innovative either.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

After reading some of these reviews, I had to comment.

I don't understand that some of you, (especially those who write some clever reviews), missed the "greatness" in this movie.

This film is based on clichés and is predictable. THIS FILM IS NOT MEANT TO BE AS A "laugh out loud" - COMEDY!

It is the way Ferrel portraits his character with HIS kind of humor. Mixed with typical buildups and "one-take" shots, seen in Mexican movies and Spanish series... The facial expressions and timing makes this film.

You don't have to like it, but don't say it is bad... it's a matter of taste.