Promedio Rojo 1

This movie was the big hype of 2004 in Chile. The director visited almost every mass media he could to promote the film, even 3 months before its release on theaters. With this, the film had an amazing start at box offices, everybody went saying it was a big success. But let the truth be said now. The movie is awful. Director Nicolas Lopez portrays himself as the main character, a complete nerdy loser who is the object of rejection of everybody at school, the daddy boy of the class beats him, the new Spanish beauty almost ignores him. Everything goes bad for him. Director Lopez tried to imitate the style popularized by Spanish director Alex De la Iglesia, but tried to transplant it to Chilean idiosyncrasy. The result could have been much better if he had had a good script. Some superb Chilean actors as Fernando Farias, Ernesto Belloni and Kathy Kowaleczko are absolutely wasted here, given them such minimum characters which weren't properly developed. The result is a complete mess which is not funny nor entertaining. After this movie, seems very difficult for Lopez to get some new high budget to make a mainstream movie (this one cost more than a million dollar), so it seems he will be condemned to return to his infra cult circuit where he was born and probably will remain there for the rest of his movie director life.

Being a little freak, introspective, somewhat fat and a huge fan of Star Wars and comics might render you unattractive for the vast majority of the popular girls in your college.

Roberto Rodriguez is the perfect prototype of a fat freaky looser, and he can live with it, until a new female student arrives into his class. She's an adorable Spanish brunette who also likes comics books, and Roberto falls for her instantaneously.

The problem is that she's quickly drained towards Fele, an older student who is the perfect handsome heart breaker, forcing Roberto to attempt desperately and pathetically to get her to notice him.

I think this movie might be a little autobiographic for Nicolas Lopez, Director, Script Writer and co-producer of Promedio Rojo. And might as well have many similarities with the lives of a lot of young men who hadn't it easy during high school, being unnoticed or unattractive to girls, hanging out with freaky friends, having little or no social life and having to survive the cruelty and rudeness of popular students.

Altought the film has some dramatic ingredients, it's by no means a melodrama. I think this is plain comedy, but a rather sarcastic one. You might find yourself laughing at things that you know that are full of bad taste or even plain gross... and those situations wouldn't be funny if presented in another context, but in this movie it works, and it works well.

There are some petty side conflicts which really aren't important nor funny, but all in all the movie is entertaining, funny and has enjoyable characters.

And I declare myself absolutely in love for Cristina, the Spanish student.

Chilean comedies seem to have a great flaw: they're either dull or vulgar: this one is both. Quite influenced by the Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia, this movie imitates his style, including his faults. The story is very silly and there's nothing original in it. It concerns high school nerds in their sexual awareness and the attempts to have their first experiences (does that sound familiar to you?) It certainly looks quite old fashioned,with the most recurrent stereotypes of the American youngster comedies of the sixties like "Porky" and all its sequels and imitations. The humor is rough - kind of vulgar actually - and the interpretations are quite elementary. It was quite popular in Chile but it faded away a few months after being released.

It's a laugh feast! Satirical, fast-paced, imaginative, savvy, wonderful performances lead by a director who knows what he is doing. Main character Roberto is a geek, but a talented comics artist, and the film weaves the real-life situations into the black&white comics book he is creating. Through his eyes real-life events are exaggerated and surreal, like when he wonders through a mall feeling a huge heart-ache for Cristina and all he sees at every step are young couples glued to each other kissing. Scenes with depraved grandfather who he adopts as mentor are hilarious. All scenes have an unexpected turn-around. Fine black-humor. A classic not to be missed!

I saw promedio rojo with very low expectations (may be that's why I liked it). When I saw this movie, I first thought it was going to be the typical teen movie with the nerdy kid getting the good looking girl at the end. But instead I got Nicolas Lopes crazy world. What I really like about this movie is that the set up is basically a comic about the main character, which gives more freedom to switch from the characters imagination and reality. Also I liked how it poked fun of every teen movie, and also other big Hollywood hits (star wars, lion king, etc). Unlike every teen movie, the ending is not a happy one, and it leaves the viewer waiting to see what's going to happened. I really enjoyed this movie, and I recommend it to anyone.