Papà cercasi

First of all: some reviewers say that this movie is badly translated. We watched it the original language and loved it, but the English subtitles were broken and didn't follow the the scene very well at times, so I can see why viewers outside of Spanish language would feel lost in translation. (Yes, pun intended).

Second of all: if you go into this film expecting it to reflect American or European acting styles and modern political views, you will also be disappointed. If you're expecting depth and complexity from this film, you will be massively disappointed. It is simple, top-level, and innocent; but it also sweet, enjoyable, and refreshing.

The actress that plays the "transformed" character is Silvia Navarro. She is so talented, I love any movie or series with her in it, and she carries the plot of her character well: the widowed mother of a rebellious and obstinate preteen. The man in the movie is Juan Pablo Medina. I honestly appreciated what he brought to this role: a grieving father and self-renounced actor with a broke bank and broken heart. A third adult actress is Aleyda Gallardo. If you're not familiar with Mexican culture, Mari portrays the domestic worker of the home, a common role found in any Mexican film that reflects the wealth of the family. And in this movie, mom is rich and Mari works for her.

But this movie isn't about the adults. This is about a preteen who hates her mother because she blames her for her dad's death, and is trying desperately to cling to the one thing that ties her to her dad's memory: BMX. The entire movie is from the viewpoint of this preteen, and her over-exxagerated and desperate attempts to manipulate the adults in her life to get what she wants.

My only let-down was the "climax", which really wasn't that great. The BMX "race" was so staged that it felt unreal. I would have appreciated more focus on that. I think this massive let-down is a pain-point for the audience, especially since the adults don't get together and no massive reconciliation happens between any of the characters. A great build-up leads to a mediocre ending, and that's going to disappoint a lot of viewers. However, if you can appreciate the movie for its acting, and not for the poor direction, you may find some new actors to follow in some of their other works, because I assure you, these actors were much better than the storyline they followed.

What a cute movie, captivating characters with strong personalities, and a lot of brotherly love involved, delicious soundtrack, all very tasty to accompany, for those who enjoy that cute, fun and almost realistic family movie ...

A Mexican family movie. It is about a girl who wants to enter a cycling competition but how her mother does not let her decide to do a casting to find a father who will help her with permission without them knowing. Paid for with the fiscal stimulus, this film would hit theaters and Netflix took it for its catalog. The film does not have the necessary cohesion, it is arrhythmic and loose. The ending doesn't make any sense and is out of the context of the film, plus it's very forced. They try to talk vaguely of letting go of fears and taking risks in life but they can't. Some performances are good and others do not reach what is required. Predictable like all of its kind. Exaggerated and ridiculous dramatic moments like a Mexican soap opera. Risky because it is not your typical romantic comedy. Avoidable if you are not a fan of Mexican movies.

By hiring second rate translators and third rate voice actors. I can see how this could have been a passable movie in it's original language, especially for it's target audience (guessing middle-school age, since that's the two main characters). But when you translate it badly (some of the phrasing is so awful it's funnier than the plot!), then get even worse actors to do the voice over (one or two were actually good, but not enough to overcome the rest), it takes all possibility of enjoyment from the movie.

It has an unoriginal and predictable plot, but it can distract you for a while.