User reviews

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

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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, how do you say, more entertaining than I thought it was going to be. This telenovela parody pokes fun at number of different stereotypes, and manages to play it straight while still mocking the genre. It's an interesting experiment in comedy.

It looks good when you gaze upon the promo and the menu picture.

It initially tastes good when you take the first bite.

Then, halfway through, you realise something is just not right.

Towards the end, you can barely finish it.

And you feel sick and nauseous afterwards *gack* Not recommended.

I can see what Ferrel and the film makers were trying to achieve but they failed at Omega levels in reaching this goal. The film was an absolute mess and about as entertaining as an ingrown toenail. Not even worth renting.

Unfunny. Confused. Boring. Weak

2/10

"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 going to be honest, I did not make it through this movie. It was that bad. I am one to enjoy stupid comedies, seen the Naked Gun 100+ times, and enjoyed most other Will Ferrel movies, but this..... my god. Out of the thousand or so people who worked on this movie how did no one speak up, admit defeat, and stop the spending that went into making this.

Out of the 45 minutes I endured there was nothing funny, interesting, or clever that happened. Save yourselves time, money and brain cells. Go see anything else.

Hell, go rent Theodore Rex, at least it has a talking dinosaur.

I have nothing but respect when actors or filmmakers take risks, and this was a risk on Will Ferrell's part. Ferrell is already a hit-or-miss comic actor, with a few great movies under his belt and just as many forgettable. For every ANCHORMAN there's a LAND OF THE LOST. I'm not the biggest fan of his movies but when's he good, he's good. I was happy to see Ferrell had the nerve to release a small movie, low budget with deliberately poor production value, and completely in Spanish. In a time when so many American moviegoers refuse to sit through a movie they'll need to "read", you've got to love what you do to go against the grain with a film like CASA DE MI PADRE. Good for Ferrell and his film buddies for doing the movie, and the best part is…I actually enjoyed it. Well, not at first. The movie is done in the style of Mexican/Spanish telenovelas. It's a feature length soap opera/Spanish western, and I know that alone will turn some people off. It is the tale of Armando Alvarez (Ferrell), a simple ranchero working on his father's land when his beloved brother Raul makes a triumphant return to their homestead with exciting news. Raul (Diego Luna) is to be married to the beautiful Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez) and he has plans to revive his father's dying ranch. But with the dangerous drug lord La Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal) moving in on their land, Armando discovers that his brother might not be as noble as he believed.

This movie needed an extra viewing to really grow on me. I wasn't impressed the first time, believing it to be a one note joke dragged out to feature length (Will Ferrell speaking Spanish…poorly. I can hardly contain my laughter.) But, really, there is a lot of hilarious stuff here. It's just subtler than I was expecting. The best bits are a lot of the little things. Sure, there're some blatantly funny parts, especially with the deliberate poor production value. Painted backdrops, obvious sets, obvious props, rear projection, etc. But then there are the little things. Raul never without a cigarette and drink in his hands, even in the midst of a violent gun battle. Armando can't roll a cigarette to save his life (although the commentary with Ferrell reveals that he can, in fact, roll a cigarette…just not when he's trying to remember his lines in another language). The melodrama, the cheesy line delivery…it's great. The opening of the movie sets the tone perfectly: Ferrell in a field with his fellow rancheros and a herd of cattle. Ferrell stoically dismounts from his horse and approaches a small brown calf…the scene cuts to a new angle as he bends down to pick it up and he rises with a blatantly fake black calf as he stares dramatically into the sun. Boom…cut to the trippy, James Bond-ish opening titles with none other than Christina Aguilera singing. It didn't win me over at first, but I love it now.

I have to give Ferrell credit: there are times when he almost sounds fluent in his Spanish. I love his musical numbers. He's a perfect balance of serious and absurd, though I hate to say we're treated to an abundance of Ferrell butt shots. I could've done without that. The rest of the cast is even better. Diego Luna is solid gold as Raul with swagger and confidence, and Genesis Rodriguez (an actress with an actual history in Spanish soap operas) is both amazingly beautiful and the only one giving her role an honest try. She gives the movie it's biggest dose of dramatic performing, taking her role 100% serious amongst all of the bizarre. And then there's Gael Garcia Bernal….this dude is hilarious. Easily the funniest part of the movie in my opinion. Again, he's not outright goofball in his performance as the movie's villain, La Onza. It's the little quirks here and there that he tosses in. He had me laughing harder than anything else at times. All the more reason it's a shame that a lot of people will probably skip this movie because of it's strange premise and it's use of Spanish with English subtitles. You don't have to be familiar with telenovelas to enjoy it; I certainly wasn't. A passing familiarity with them and an open mind is enough to enjoy CASA DE MI PADRE, one of Ferrell's better films.

This movie is at its best when it is "tongue in cheek" and using "earnest" performances in a gentle slap to westerns, drug cartel flicks, and romantic drama. It is at its best as a western, over-the-top soap opera.

Unfortunately these inspired gems (and they are good) come too few and far between otherwise just ordinary scenes. It would have been really fun to have the writers keep up that skewering of the genres and would have been a delight to watch.

Typically the best moments in the film were with Will Ferrell who gave an inspired turn as out as our hero. An amazing cast in what is a wildly uneven film in good performances which each of these actors could have given stellar performances with more inspired scenes. A shame. It felt the writers were a bit lazy to not keep it revved up.

In conclusion: While watchable, I would not recommend spending the money on the film at the theaters, I would recommend waiting to rent or download. Not a buy for me, nor a second viewing.

Will Ferrell has always found the most unique ways to take a film and make it terrible. Casa de mi Padre is different. Will Ferrell doesn't even try in this movie. It's almost as if he is begging for his loving crowd to come to the realization that he cannot act is isn't actually funny. Why else would he learn Spanish simply to make a film even worse? Unfortunately his fan base is still addictive to him—several people in my theatre found some of the most pathetic jokes hilarious.

Casa de mi Padre is technically written by Andrew Steele. I say technically because all Steele had to do was present the skeletal structure of a storyline. The rest would be filled with improv. For example, in the opening scene, one of Will Ferrell's friends says something that isn't funny—and they proceed to laugh for two whole minutes. I hate to call this improv because it insults the people who actually know how to do improv correctly.

As a result, the storyline is irrelevant and annoying. I can only assume that the point of the movie was to laugh at how absurd it was. Instead, it just comes across as insulting. There is a segment in the middle of the movie which promises action but instead cuts to a letter written by one of the cameramen who explains why the action scene cannot be shown. This is supposed to be funny. It is not. It is simply a time filler attempting to cover up the fact that the movie is utter crap.

Several of the scenes take place outdoors. Almost all of them are set against a painted backdrop that is placed only feet behind the actual shot. It is supposed to be absurdly funny, I know. It isn't. When a studio cuts corners to put out a crap film starring a beloved actor, we all know what is happening. Everybody is making bank because the movie is guaranteed to make a good profit. I give you exhibit A on why marijuana should remain illegal (NOTE: Ruining Will Ferrell's career is the only reasonable reason I can think of to not legalize pot).

You know full well that seeing this movie is handing over money that would be better spent getting a vasectomy. The only reason anyone would see this movie is because they are a Will Ferrell fan—in which case you will be exiled from the human race her shortly. Only April 20th, when all of you are stoned off your ass and watching Elf, the Navy Seals will find you and bring you to the North Pole. Once you sober up and realize Elf is fiction, we will all enjoy the Hunger Games-like reality show as you slowly freeze to death in the Artic.

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Casa de mi Padre is not for everyone. There is a very limited audience for this movie, such as Spanish speaking folk, Will Ferrell fans. But the main one I think is the telenovela watching audience.

Casa de mi Padre is meant to poke fun at Mexican telenovelas, and it pretty much succeeded. The exaggerated acting, the exaggerated drama, weddings getting shot up, the hilarious mistakes that telenovelas usually do and the not so great pacing. This movie has it all, and it manages to exaggerate even MORE on top of that. Typical Ferrell style.

The film also has a great Hispanic cast to boot. Diego Luna, Pedro Armendariz, Gael Garcia, Genesis Rodriguez and more. And of course, Will Ferrell speaking Spanish the whole film. He does an excellent job at it.

All in all this movie is hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if you liked what you read just now you will most likely enjoy it too.

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.

Armando (Will Farrell) has his life turn upside down after he falls for the fiancé of his drug- dealing younger brother in this Spanish-language spoof.

Either a Will Farrell vanity project, a SNL skit that goes far too long or both, this satire on telenovelas is as short on laughs as it is long in the tooth. seems its the same three or four jokes told ad neseum when they barely register a chuckle the first time around. This film is definitely one only for the die hard fans of Farrell and no one else. If it were merely a "Funny or Die" skit, I'd still choose the latter part of that equation.

What CASA DE MI PADRE couldn't fully deliver in comedy, it makes up for it in the concept, the style, and Will Ferrell's unbelievable dedication to his Spanish speaking role. Ferrell hasn't been funny in a long time in my opinion, since Anchorman, but seeing him in this different light gives some kind of new-found respect because even though his Spanish is very basic and very limited, it's more than obvious that the man gives his all. Comedy-wise, CASA DE MI PADRE works well as a satire or a parody, it's not necessarily laugh out loud but it's certainly unique… I think screenwriter Andrew Steele's mistake is that he treats this movie like he did his old SNL sketches, CASA DE MI PADRE does feel like a very long SNL sketch and the humor often happens only at the end of every scene either by way of endless chuckling or a character that would smoke more than one cigar at once for no reason whatsoever, that kind of joke only goes so far, it doesn't do much to tickle your funny bone. The best comedy, to me, is when the character is desperate, when he's cornered and his reactions aren't met accordingly. CASA DE MI PADRE on the other hand, tries hard to spoof the drama of Mexican soap opera to the point where the dialogue even comes off serious. But it's a good thing that director Matt Piedmont plays it silly, thanks to the use of miniatures and puppets, fake animals, and life-size dolls. Hilarious? not exactly. Silly, you betcha! I give mad credit to Will Ferrell for taking on this gig, as I said earlier, his Spanish is basic and limited and I'm sure it must be challenging for him to stick to the script considering he's known for his habit of going improv. His character, Armando Alvarez, is goody two-shoes, hopeless romantic, passionate, considered coward by everybody else but he's actually got some cojones, he's the kind of man who fights for his woman. Y Tu Mama Tambien guys, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are strong supporting actors in this film, those two fellas aren't strangers to each others' rhythm, it's one of those cases where you just roll the cameras and let them do their magic. New hottie in town, Genesis Rodriguez who plays the female lead, is beautiful and captivating. I think the movie tries its best to balance the tone between the comedy and the whole drug-trafficking commentary, but sometimes it's done at the expense of the comedy. The entire opening credit sequence, with a song by Christina Aguilera, looks like a James Bond opening theme for a Mexican Godfather movie if there ever was one. CASA DE MI PADRE pokes fun at old Mexican movies, Spaghetti western and cheesy Telenovelas. And all I can say is.. finally, Will Ferrell is worth watching again.

I guess this is why high school recommends students to take at least two years of a foreign language. It looks good on any college resume and it may provide the building blocks for a satirical film in your later years. Hey, you never know. Casa De Mi Padre is a film Will Ferrell has most likely wanted to do for quite sometime, but the lack of mainstream interest has probably held him back. He rounds up his friends, some of them from the website "Funny or Die," and gives made-for-TV films that would usually air on the Puerto Rican channel, Telemundo a run for their money.

This is a parody of the telenovela style where locations are limited and usually reduced to clearly fake backdrops, animals are incredibly artificial, and the corniness and melodrama in the story is hammed up to unknown levels. The attention to detail and creativity levels that are next-to necessary to make a parody film of this style work are present, but everything else is ostensibly on autopilot.

Will Ferrell is Armando Álvarez, a man who has nothing but the utmost devotion to his father's ranch and their business. His brother, Raúl (Diego Luna), returns home one day with his fiancée, Sonia (Génesis Rodríguez), amid financial difficulties the ranch has been experiencing for quite sometime. Armando and his father believe that Raúl's newfound source of income as a businessman will be the end to this.

A few corny monologues and cheesy sing-a-longs later, we discover Raúl is in the business of drug-dealing, a sin in Armando's eyes, who believe loyalty is above all. This, of course, will lead to a showdown with Onza (Gael García Bernal), the renowned drug-dealer Raúl has been doing business with for quite sometime. I can at least say this film is more eventful and slightly more interesting than John Landis's Three Amigos.

I was instantaneously impressed with Will Ferrell's impeccable Spanish. Apparently, the producers only had one month to make him practically fluent, at least in the screenplay, and either Ferrell had prior experience or is a fast-learner. While this is his weakest work beside Old School, this is one of his finest performances. He immerses himself in the character of Armando, and has clearly seen enough of the cheesy telenovelas in question to at least be granted the right do a spoof on them.

Some scenes will induce eye-rolling, others induce chuckles, yet many induce silence, something I wouldn't have expected with a Will Ferrell comedy. The humor stems from such subtle things like Ferrell and his compadres laughing for an awkwardly long period of time or simply the preposterous action sequences. The material here could clearly be the foundation for a series of inspired shorts (on the "Funny or Die" website, for that matter), or even a Saturday Night Live skit. But extending the film's one-note joke out for seventy-five minutes, minus the five minute credit music video, can be considered not indulgence, but idea-suicide.

Starring: Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Génesis Rodríguez, and Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. Directed by: Matt Piedmont.

From the James Bond-like beginning, to the slow-sequence Spaghetti-Western middle, to the musicality of the ending….tossing in enough smoking to make the Marlboro Man reel and enough blood-letting to make a vampire swoon….and you have a first-rate farce of a film. Ferrell is transformed from a loser, to a lover, to a lionhearted hero along the way and of course, it doesn't hurt that he's given the luscious, talented Genesis Rodriguez to play against either. Let's just say it was different….and surprisingly funny. Move over Clint Eastwood – the cowboy hat has been passed – and to Will Ferrell of all people. Who'd a thought it?

A curious Spanish-language comedy starring Will Ferrell, who learned all of his lines phonetically (I've heard from Spanish speakers that he did a great job with that). This is apparently a parody of cheap Mexican melodramas, and it has an interesting and often absorbing aesthetic (obvious painted backdrops and such). The problem is, the filmmakers seem to think that this is funny in and of itself. It reminds you of something like Black Dynamite, but they kind of forgot they needed to write jokes outside of the goofy cheapness. There are a few - just not enough. The cast is pretty great here, including Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal, Pedro Armendariz Jr. (who died before the film was released), Nick Offerman and the gorgeous Genesis Rodriguez (also quite fine in Man on a Ledge). At 84 minutes, this is hardly a chore, but you always feel like it could be infinitely funnier than it is.

This was the worst movie I have ever seen. I love Will Ferrell but this was a horribly made and written movie. It wasn't even funny it was just stupid. It was so cheaply made and it's like they didn't even care if it wasn't realistic! I can't believe I sat there and watched the whole thing it was such a waste of my time. It Was A Total Let Down. horribly written, horrible use of green screen and background, horrible use of firing shots, horrible use of blood, horrible use of "animals", horrible all throughout. I will still watch Will Ferrell's work and I don't hold this horrible movie against him, I hold it against the writers, and directors.

This movie is getting ripped on left and right, thankfully I decided to give it a shot anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The humor is pretty old-school which you rarely see these days. They don't spoon-feed the audience a lot of obvious HAW and BAHAHAHA moments which is what makes this movie clever. I got the direction and what they were trying to accomplish throughout. Loved the way it was shot, especially the cut scenes where the director really had some fun. For those of you who enjoy comedy on many different levels, this one is a must. Oh, and could Genesis Rodriguez be any hotter? Stunning woman. Very much enjoyed this flick and I hope people give it a chance. Don't believe all the negative hype. Popular opinion is rarely the right opinion.

Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) works on his father's financially struggling ranch in Mexico. His younger brother Raul (Diego Luna) shows up with new fiancé Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez). Raul's business gets them involved with the drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal).

Will Ferrell is trying to do mocksoap like 'Spinal Tap' does with rock documentaries. Although the question is does soap operas truly need mocking? Are they not truly mock proof? My opinion is there really isn't any Will could do here that somebody would find shocking in a soap. The acting is too mannered. It's certainly not funny enough. It would help to do more slapstick. The story itself is meaningless and unimportant.

If you're a Will Ferrell fan, this isn't quite exactly the same kind of Will Ferrell comedy that you might be accustomed to (except there is a scene where you see his awkward, pasty buttocks, but... that's to be expected I guess). Casa de mi Padre is supposed to poke fun at Telenovellas, so unless you are familiar with that genre and understood the fun that this movie is intended to poke fun at, then you will not get this movie at all. I certainly didn't. I wasn't able to connect with anything. I found the jokes awkward and haphazard. Some of the scenes are obviously badly done on purpose, but it's still painful to watch. The worst part was the love scene...which was just awful.

From an outside looking in perspective, I'm not sure what this was supposed to be. It's not outright comedy to me, and it's not really a drama. It's a parody targeted for a limited audience, so not really everybody's cup of tea.

Although it's amusing to see Will Ferrell speaking Spanish - he's pretty good in my opinion! And Gael Garcia Bernal is still sexy as ever as the evil drug-lord Onza. I watched this film out of curiosity, but wouldn't personally recommend it.

will ferrell has done it again. if you are a fan of his, you know that he doesn't only make typical funny movies, but also 'stupid' funny movies. casa de mi padre is a 'stupid' funny movie.

here's the perfect example of what this movie is like: you know the family guy episode "ready, willing, and disabled"? peter stages a car accident and tapes the whole thing himself. when watching the video, you can clearly see that he replaced himself with a scarecrow and it's the scarecrow that got ran over - not him. this is so obvious, yet he insists that there's no scarecrow, it's him.

well, that's casa de mi padre for you. in some scenes people are replaced by mannequins (the kind you see in store windows), real animals by stuffed animals, locations by poorly made sets.. they make absolutely no effort of hiding it - they want you to notice it because it makes it that much funnier. there's actually one part where the movie is paused and they apologize for the scene. i mean, how can you not appreciate and love that??

i'm usually not a huge fan of 'stupid' funny movies, but will ferrell pulled it off like no one else could have.

go in with an open mind and i promise you will laugh.