This is a difficult movie to review, because, by all intents and purposes, it isn't good. Less a coherent narrative and more a random collection of scenes, "About My Father" is a so-called comedy that seemingly spares no expense to get a laugh. From carefully constructed comedic set pieces to jokey monologues and silly slapstick - all with the intent of making the audience laugh - "About My Father" has all the right ingredients to be the next laugh out loud hit of the summer. But is the film actually funny? Yes and no.
It bears repeating that "About My Father" isn't a good film, but you knew that already; no one can watch the trailer for this movie and legitimately think that it's going to be good (except for my mother, my father, and my grandmother, who all watched and trailer and were excited to see this movie). However, if you go in with the right mindset - preferably the mindset one gets from indulging in certain alcoholic beverages - I believe you can have a good time with this.
Look, is this movie a theatrical experience? Of course not. This is, without a doubt, a direct to DVD movie that someone, somewhere, greased the right hands to get released in theatres. That said, if you find yourself in a situation where you're forced to see this movie on a silver screen near you, I don't think you'll have a terrible time. There's nothing original in this movie, and it is by no means clever. In fact, "instantly" and "forgettable" are two perfect words to summarize this movie. But I can't deny that I was smiling and chuckling from beginning to end.
There's crude, somewhat naughty humor here; there's ridiculous facial expressions and comedic reactions to the goings on of the movie; all of it is wrapped around a story you've seen done, and done better, a billion times before - but that's not to say that there isn't entertainment value here. This is a silly, ridiculous movie, but it's one that offers some fun if you're willing to turn off your brain, forget about the plot, and focus on the gags. And while for me personally nothing ever made me belly laugh, I found myself chuckling constantly; it's also relevant to say that I saw this in a packed theatre, and everyone was laughing from beginning to end, so take that how you will.
"About My Father" is, once again, a bad movie, but I don't think you'll hate it, because I didn't hate it, and I fully expected to. In fact, I was dreading to see this movie, but once it started I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I was having a good time (and yes, the alcohol may have helped). So, if you're on the fence about this movie and wondering whether or not you should see it, I would recommend that you should, but definitely wait for it to release on DVD or on streaming; this is by no means a theatre experience. But, if you're at home, with some brews, and have literally nothing else to do, you could find a worse way to spend an afternoon.
