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Eugenio Derbez. Recognize the name? If not, you're probably not a big fan of Latin cinema. But even if you watch only English-language movies and avoid subtitles like the plague, you're likely to hear more about Derbez. He's a Mexican actor, comedian and writer, as well as a director and producer of TV and movies. According to Wikipedia, Derbez "is one of the most influential creative forces in Latin America, and is one of the most recognized actors among the Spanish-speaking population in the US." His 2013 comedy-drama "Instructions Not Included", which he starred in, co-wrote and directed, became the first Spanish-language film to top $100 million in worldwide box office. In 2014, Variety magazine called Derbez "the most influential Hispanic male in the entertainment industry." 2017 marks his first starring role in a (mostly) English-language feature film, the comedy "How to Be a Latin Lover" (PG-13, 1:55).

Maximo (Derbez) is living the dream. He's well-ensconced in the lap of luxury and he's a kept man – thanks to his very rich and much older wife (Renée Taylor). This was his plan all along – to use his Latin charms to get a sugar mama and never have to work a day in his life. Maximo was doing great, living in a mansion, driving expensive cars, etc., until his benefactor decides to give him his walking papers, which, in this case, is a copy of the prenup that he signed years earlier. With no money and nowhere to live, he wants to move in with his fellow gigolo, Rick (Rob Lowe), but that wouldn't go over very well with Rick's rich (and kinky) aged lover, Millicent (Linda Lavin). This lands Maximo on the doorstep of his estranged sister, Sara (Salma Hayek), single mother to nerdy, sweet, 10-year-old Hugo (Raphael Alejandro). None of the three of them are particularly happy about this turn of events, but, hey, family is family, right? Maximo fully intends for his humiliating slumming with Sara and Hugo to be a temporary arrangement. He's on the prowl, looking for his next mark. He thinks he finds her in an extremely wealthy widow named Celeste (Raquel Welch), but she seems impossible to get to, especially with her chauffeur (Rob Corddry) doubling as her omnipresent gatekeeper. While Maximo works out a plan, he gets money by conning a couple of bone-headed local businessmen (Rob Riggle and Ron Huebel) and working for the manager (Kristen Bell) at a frozen yogurt shop. Maximo thinks he sees his way into Celeste's life when he learns that Hugo has a crush on his classmate, Arden (Mckenna Grace), who happens to be Celeste's granddaughter. But getting his foot in the wealthy grandmother's expensive doors will require Maximo to teach his nephew how to be a miniature Latin lover and win Arden's affections, while distracting Sara by pushing her into the arms of a neighbor (Ilan Arditti) with whom Sara shares a mutual attraction.

"How to Be a Latin Lover" is predictable, but pleasant, sweet and funny. Although formulaic, its basic premise is fairly original and enjoyable. Derbez is equal parts charismatic and entertaining, while the rest of the talented cast is game for whatever the writers and director send their way. Besides Derbez, this movie also marks a coming-out party of sorts for screenwriters Jon Zack (with only a couple previous feature films to his credit) and Chris Spain (this being his first IMDb writing credit), as well as director Ken Marino. Marino, after acting in over 100 movies and TV shows, doing some writing for each medium and directing for eight different TV series, makes this his feature directorial debut.

These filmmakers bring us comedy that's a mixture of slapstick, juvenile humor and just good, old-fashioned strange situations and strained family relationships. And all that comes with at least some family values and growth on the part of the main characters. It's somewhat simplistic, but almost always fun. And, yes, there are occasional subtitles (during some of the scenes in which Maximo interacts with another Spanish-speaking character), but this movie is funny and heartfelt enough to entertain all but the most jaded Movie Fans – and strong enough to earn Derbez many more English-speaking fans. "B+"

This is the first time I'm writing a review. Because of the bad reviews, it sparked me to defend it. I recently watched this on Netflix. Honestly, most of the films found on Netflix aren't all that great. I usually do agree with scores found on IMDB, but with this film I believe it deserves a higher score. I enjoyed the comedy and found it to be real fun. I shared it with my boyfriend (who is more into action films). Even he was laughing like crazy and also agrees with me. This film deserves a higher score. I can be critical of what I watch, but to be fair, I would give this film a 7.3.

was excited to watch this as the trailer was funny.....low IMDb rating got me doubting whether i should go to the movie hall for this...glad i went. it was very funny, well scripted, well acted and not one of those over the top weird obscene comedies...theater was a mix of elder people, kids, adults and everyone laughed throughout the movie....it had genuine humor and good emotional content too... cast was great, salma hayek is a delight to watch , the kid who played her son was so cute, brother sister relationship was well crafted, ...i left the hall smiling...

This film tells the story of a professional sugar son, who has been the toy boy of a rich woman for twenty five years. One day, he is replaced by someone younger, and he has to find another wife just to survive.

Maximo is really confident and charming, so it's easy to see that he is attractive to some ladies. His misadventures during his quest for another lady are really funny. The family subplot is really good as well, as it is touching and genuine. I liked everything in this film. I really enjoyed watching it, and laughed a lot.

I stumbled upon "How to Be a Latin Lover" on Netflix while perusing their comedy section. I hadn't heard about the movie before, nor had I any idea who was in it. But still, the movie caught my attention and I gave it a go.

Turned out that "How to Be a Latin Lover" was actually quite entertaining and funny to watch. Sure, you'll not be laughing throughout the entire course of the movie, but there are some good wholehearted and hardy laughs to be had and the storyline in the movie was really surprisingly good.

And it definitely helped that the movie had such a strong and talented ensemble of actors and actresses. This was my first time to get acquainted with Eugenio Derbez, but I will say that he really carried the movie phenomenally. And he had some great help from the likes of Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe and Kristen Bell. Actually, the entire movie was crammed with familiar faces and famous performers, which was surprisingly nice to see for a movie such as this. I will also say that Salma Hayek really brought a lot of charm to the movie with her talent and on-screen presence.

"How to Be a Latin Lover", while it is not a classic in the comedy genre, definitely proved to be entertaining and fun to watch. I was genuinely entertained by the movie and had some good laughs along the way. Hardly a movie I will watch a second time though, because the movie didn't have all that much to offer once you've seen it the first time.

Definitely worth watching if you enjoy a good, wholeheartedly comedy with a heartfelt story as well.

A nice bilingual comedy introducing Eugenio Derbez to American audiences starring alongside Selma Hayek and Rahpael Alejandro. Maximo is a gigolo that after twenty five years of marriage finds himself dumped for a younger man. Maximo must move in with his sister and nephew. Along the way he learns important lessons of friendship and family. Bonus points for Rob Lowe as a fellow gigolo and the scene in which he "plays" a cop complete with tear-a-way uniform. Another bit of trivia in the beginning of the film there is a younger Maximo that dives into the pool, that is Eugenio Derbez's twenty five year old son! Enjoyable rental - just be sure to watch with the captions unless you are fluent in Spanish.

I loved the movie and thought it was very funny, well acted and the story line was funny. I recommended to other family members and my daughter and wife hated it with a passion. For me light comedy with some laugh out loud moments. Take a chance in my opinion.

This film was ok, but nothing to write home about. I probably would not watch it again. Salma Hayek is always terrific, but even she can't save this tiresome script and film from ignominy. Very little even happens, there is almost no developments in the plot or growth in the characters. It really is a dull exposition of the subject matter. 4/10.

Most comedies that have been released this year were pretty much horrendous and treat viewers like they have an IQ of -50. With that being said, How to Be a Latin Lover is a true breath of fresh air, it's been a while since a movie made me feel this good and it definitely deserves a higher rating that 5.8.

The storyline is simple, main characters charming, writing witty, the acting is top-notch especially from Eugenio Derbez, the jokes are not forced which is a rarity nowadays and there are many laugh out loud moments that are nicely spread throughout the movie so it never loses momentum and becomes dull despite being almost 2 hours long.

If you are looking for a quality charming feel-good movie don't miss this one and ignore all the bad reviews, fun is guaranteed.

You really get what you work for.And to be honest the characters in this movie worked hard through a great acting.The setting of the movie was great.And credit also goes to the dialogue.It was simple and easily understandable.The negative thing was it predictable screenplay.But in all it was a nice movie.Deserving a higher ratings.

This movie is like many other films in recent years, they promise comedy and they don't deliver. The movie starts out somewhat funny yet goes down hill as it progresses. There are too many slapstick jokes that fall flat, the characters are awkward, and they have no chemistry with each other. The car advertisement characters were ridiculous and they were completely without nuance in relation to the story plot, and they were both so unbelievably annoying that I had to mute the movie whenever they were on screen. This movie had far too many characters woven into the plot that were unnecessary and just weird, sadly not weird enough to be funny, but weird in the uncomfortable sense. However, the worst part of this movie were the NUMEROUS, "pull my finger" jokes. This movie is akin to EVERY Adam Sandler movie out there, though not written by Adam Sandler. I say that because of all the people that were needlessly and ridiculously injured throughout the movie. From the wheelchair bound man who keeps getting hit by cars, to the wealthy widow without any arms, this movie was a FLOP! After seeing this movie I got the feeling that this it was based in California, though it was not meant for an American audience. I wonder if this movie is something that is humorous to the region it is based on.

It has its fun moments and they make you feel joy and lighthearted. That is all, it gets you to forget of all bitterness going around while entertaining you for a little while. I just think they could have exploited the Raquel Welch character even further, and there were some times it gets a bit boring but all in all it is light comedy and Eugenio and Salma make a good funny duo. I wish we saw more of them in some additional goof flicks like this.

It started out great very funny though the movie however half way through I started to loose interest If you like comedies and don't mind if it slows down you will enjoy this

Although it seems like a good proposal, it does not achieve anything different.

The first half of the movie is good, the jokes are funny, the things that happen are logical and entertaining, but in the middle of the second act it becomes slow, boring and with not funny jokes, in this part the script turns bad and ends up including all the clichés already known. Another highlight of the film is the music and the writing of the characters.

The film remains in the middle of what it had proposed in the beginning and is due in terms of plot and grace.

As per title, this is an average comedy with some funny and cute moments. The jokes are ok but the the pacing is somewhat wrong. Good for a chill night at home.

The performance of Eugenio Derbez is good and the plot is entertaining; however, it is very generic and does not add anything new.

So reading all the negative comments AND all the positive comments (usually the most suspicious due to fake promoting a movie), I decided to see this love/hate reviewed movie for myself.

I have to say it was one of the most funny and entertaining comedies I've seen this year, if not THE funniest! Non stop laughs, all star cast (every actor was amazing!), great story, great directing, and a heartwarming ending.

I have nothing bad to critique about this movie. It was perfect!

I'm shocked at all the hate for Rob Lowe and Salma Hayek! They played their parts perfectly! And Eugenio Derbez was on point! The Spanish translated dialogue added even more comedy to the performances.

I'm not sure what all the negative remarkers were expecting, nor what they are comparing it to make it so bad, but this one is a real winner and I suggest you see it and hopefully give this the higher rating it really deserves to out-weigh the miserable low scores.

10/10 because I can't think of what could have made this movie any better than what it was!

To watch or not to watch?

This is simply a light hearted comedy rump. There is nothing new here, but it is a pleasant way to fill a couple of hours.

Many movies call themselves Comedies, but more rarely give you more than light hearted amusement with maybe an occasional smile. While this is not a "belly-laugh" kind of film, it is more humorous than many other Comedies.

The actors do a good job and don't try to take themselves too seriously.

The concept is not for the young children, but for the older kids, It is a film that can be watched with the family without causing any offense.

A good B+ film.

Beginning with the ridiculously stupid opening scene, this movie drags on to become nothing more than two torturous hours of lame, simple-minded, disconnected gags ('pull my finger' ha, ha, ha) strung together to form an even lamer simpler-minded plot, if it can be called that.

This kind of low-brow crap is all the likes of Rob Lowe can qualify for, but it was sad to see Salma Hayek and the venerable and iconic Raquel Welch stoop to this low a level. Didn't they read the script before they signed?

The kid was cute, and there actually was ONE funny gag (that did not involve any of the main players nor the 'plot' - which probably explains why it was funny) about mid-way. But neither of these made enduring the nonstop inane-ness of everything else worth it.

The other reviews, which I made the huge mistake of relying on, are nothing more than a shameless shill-fest.