REVIEW: Casa de Mi Padre

MOVIE
Casa De Mi Padre

CAST
Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal

RATING
R

RELEASE
March 16, 2012

DIRECTOR
Matt Piedmont

STUDIO
Pantelion Films (Lionsgate)

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 24 minutes






STARS
****











REVIEW:

Every once in a while, there is a movie that will divide the film community into two halves. Some will find that movie to be uproariously funny and something they would want to see again and again. Then there are the sophisticated people who nitpick that movie and take it too seriously. This is exactly what Will Ferrell's 'Casa de Mi Padre' is destined to become. 'Casa de Mi Padre' is a western spoof movie that mocks telenova films almost entirely in Spanish with subtitles. As crazy as this may sound, this was the movie I was looking forward to see the most out of any film coming out in 2012. Another way to say it is that this was my most anticipated movie of 2012. Many friends have argued with me throwing names like 'The Avengers' and 'The Dark Knight Rises' at my face. As great as those look, there was something about 'Casa' that just made me want it to see it the most out of everything else coming. So as you could guess, I was very excited to see this movie. Surely enough, this movie surpassed my expectations. It may be cheesy and over the top at parts, but this is the exact movie I've been waiting to see for a while. Let me put it to you this way: I haven't laughed so hard at one movie possibly since the stupid-as-hell but still humorous 'Grown Ups.' 'Casa de Mi Padre' delivers the goods in 84 minutes, especially when you're given some tasty salsa to go along with it.

Will Ferrell as far as I know can do any role he sets his mind to. From doing critically panned adventure sexual comedies like 'Land of the Lost' to more dramatic and serious movies like 'Everything Must Go,' Ferrell is a master at his craft. He learned Spanish just for this one movie, and it's funny to hear him speak the language, especially when he's really good at it! Ferrell gives some of the biggest laughs of the movie even by just posing for the camera. Even though Ferrell is the selling point of the film, the rest of the cast is just as great! The funny thing about Ferrell being in this movie at all is that he is surrounded entirely by a Spanish/Latino cast.

Famed Spanish actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are very good as the main antagonist and Will Ferrell's brother respectively. You can't just have Ferrell overacting in every scene in the film, so that's why these Spanish actors are great at standing alongside Ferrell. Then there is newcomer (not if you saw 'Man on a Ledge') Génesis Rodríguez who is both stunning to look at and quite funny as well. You even have more familiar faces like Hector Ramirez from 'Napoleon Dynamite' and Nick Offerman from 'Parks and Recreation' joining in on the fun. Overall the cast is great, but the writing and jokes that they are given to read only make the movie even better.

The writer of this film is Andrew Steele, who is probably best known for writing for 'Saturday Night Live' and the critically panned 'The Ladies Man.' Let me assure you that the script of this film isn't the script for 'The Ladies Man.' While the dialogue sucks, it's supposed to because this is a spoof film. What makes this script funny is how the actors act out with the dialogue given, and how the movie is supposed to represent an old trashy telenova from the 70s. Kind of like a Grindhouse film in Spanish, that includes any type of technical flaw that can be thought of. These flaws include crappy special effects, awful editing, and other things in those types of categories. An example of this would be at the very beginning of the film where you clearly see a stunt double for Will Ferrell riding on a horse, which then approaches a brown cow. When Ferrell picks it up and looks in the camera's direction, the cow is now black and appears to not be a cow, but a piñata. If you like that type of humor, as well as many other Spanish related jokes, then you surely will laugh your ass off in this movie.

'Casa de Mi Padre' is a movie where I had literally no problems with it at all. This film rang every right note in my book, and I just sat and laughed my ass off all the way through. Will Ferrell is hilarious as always, but his great use of the Spanish language only makes his performance even funnier. Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and the rest of the supporting cast are also quite funny as they are mocking their own country's type of film. Andrew Steele's script and the director of Matt Piedmont seal the deal of how much I enjoyed this movie. I may be going out on a limb by saying this, but 'Casa de Mi Padre' is not only one of my favorites of 2011 so far, but it may also be the best spoof movie since 'The Naked Gun.' There is nothing that bugged me in this short movie, except for the fact that it is a short movie I guess. It's only 84 minutes including the credits, and even those you should stay for! Overall 'Casa de Mi Padre' is a funny, well-acted, and awesome spoof movie that is well deserving of being seen. This movie is in limited release at the moment, but I would say if it's at a theater near you, check it out! You won't even care about reading the subtitles after 10 minutes.