Casa de mi Padre (2012)
Studio: Lionsgate
Theatrical Release: March 16, 2012
DVD Release: July 17, 2012
Director: Matt Piedmont
R
Review by James Klein
What a bizarre film! Will Ferrell must have been bored with his usual shtick and wanted to come up with a different concept for a new character. While I am all for originality and God knows we need it right now, this strange black comedy/action film is just all over the map. At times funny, at times boring, at times overly violent and at other times completely strange, Casa de mi Padre really has no clue what it wants to be when it should have just been a comedy.
This entirely Spanish film (yes, the entire movie is in Spanish and I must admit, it was rather odd but admirable to see Farrell take on this language and not make fun of it) begins with what may be the funniest joke in the entire film as we see a huge continuity error done on purpose with the subtle humorous expression that Farrell can be known for. I burst out laughing at this joke and while I don't want to ruin it for anyone wanting to see the film, it was the funniest joke in the movie. That's never a good sign.
The elderly Miguel Ernesto lives on a farm with his cowardly and not to bright son Armando (Farrell) and are very happy to see the return of Armando's brother and Miguel's son Raul, who has brought with him his fiancé Sonia. Armando takes an instant distrust to Sonia and feels that something just isn't right with Raul since his return. Come to find out that Raul is a drug dealer and Sonia's uncle Onza is Raul's rival drug dealer who is merciless in every way. Onza is feared across the land and when he puts out a hit against Raul at his wedding, it is up to Armando to step in and take revenge, honoring their family name.
Now we have seen similar movies like this played straight so seeing a slapstick comedy making fun of the numerous clichés is a great idea but....you actually need some jokes to make the movie funny. Casting a former SNL cast member and an actor from Napoleon Dynamite is not going to make the film any funnier. Throwing in some over the top violence works during a Monty Python film where the tone fits but when it happens here, it just comes off as strange and disjointed. Ferrell does a decent job as Armando and I kept waiting for him to go nuts with the character but he seems too restrained here. For once, I wanted to see him go for broke and create an over the top character, thus making fun of the Spanish cinema and western genre. But no, it's as if this character is trapped in the wrong movie.
Now there are certain moments I did chuckle at like the obviously fake white tiger or the Armando dummy and the over head shot of the town made up of matchbox cars. If the film makers are going for such broad jokes ala Airplane and Naked Gun, why not continue with these jokes. Go crazy! Don't have an entire scene played straight with the punch line being that a character is smoking two cigarettes at once. How is that funny? The film makers don't seem to know what they are doing and like most SNL skits, it goes on way too long with only a few jokes thrown around. No wonder Casa de mi Padre only got a small limited release.
The irony is that the DVD's special features, like Farrell's audio commentary and the featurette on the making of the film is much funnier than the movie itself. I happened to enjoy watching the making of this barely watchable film. Even some of the commercials added to this DVD set is funnier than most of the jokes in Casa de mi Padre. While the DVD looks and sounds great and is loaded with some neat special features, it's just not enough to really want in your collection. Maybe for die-hard Farrell fans but don't expect another Anchorman or Step Brothers.
Theatrical Release: March 16, 2012
DVD Release: July 17, 2012
Director: Matt Piedmont
R
Review by James Klein
What a bizarre film! Will Ferrell must have been bored with his usual shtick and wanted to come up with a different concept for a new character. While I am all for originality and God knows we need it right now, this strange black comedy/action film is just all over the map. At times funny, at times boring, at times overly violent and at other times completely strange, Casa de mi Padre really has no clue what it wants to be when it should have just been a comedy.
This entirely Spanish film (yes, the entire movie is in Spanish and I must admit, it was rather odd but admirable to see Farrell take on this language and not make fun of it) begins with what may be the funniest joke in the entire film as we see a huge continuity error done on purpose with the subtle humorous expression that Farrell can be known for. I burst out laughing at this joke and while I don't want to ruin it for anyone wanting to see the film, it was the funniest joke in the movie. That's never a good sign.
The elderly Miguel Ernesto lives on a farm with his cowardly and not to bright son Armando (Farrell) and are very happy to see the return of Armando's brother and Miguel's son Raul, who has brought with him his fiancé Sonia. Armando takes an instant distrust to Sonia and feels that something just isn't right with Raul since his return. Come to find out that Raul is a drug dealer and Sonia's uncle Onza is Raul's rival drug dealer who is merciless in every way. Onza is feared across the land and when he puts out a hit against Raul at his wedding, it is up to Armando to step in and take revenge, honoring their family name.
Now we have seen similar movies like this played straight so seeing a slapstick comedy making fun of the numerous clichés is a great idea but....you actually need some jokes to make the movie funny. Casting a former SNL cast member and an actor from Napoleon Dynamite is not going to make the film any funnier. Throwing in some over the top violence works during a Monty Python film where the tone fits but when it happens here, it just comes off as strange and disjointed. Ferrell does a decent job as Armando and I kept waiting for him to go nuts with the character but he seems too restrained here. For once, I wanted to see him go for broke and create an over the top character, thus making fun of the Spanish cinema and western genre. But no, it's as if this character is trapped in the wrong movie.
Now there are certain moments I did chuckle at like the obviously fake white tiger or the Armando dummy and the over head shot of the town made up of matchbox cars. If the film makers are going for such broad jokes ala Airplane and Naked Gun, why not continue with these jokes. Go crazy! Don't have an entire scene played straight with the punch line being that a character is smoking two cigarettes at once. How is that funny? The film makers don't seem to know what they are doing and like most SNL skits, it goes on way too long with only a few jokes thrown around. No wonder Casa de mi Padre only got a small limited release.
The irony is that the DVD's special features, like Farrell's audio commentary and the featurette on the making of the film is much funnier than the movie itself. I happened to enjoy watching the making of this barely watchable film. Even some of the commercials added to this DVD set is funnier than most of the jokes in Casa de mi Padre. While the DVD looks and sounds great and is loaded with some neat special features, it's just not enough to really want in your collection. Maybe for die-hard Farrell fans but don't expect another Anchorman or Step Brothers.
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