Review of Cantinflas (2014) by Marcos V — 20 Sep 2014

Having grown up with Cantinflas' films playing every so often on television, it was hard to see this film without any sort of bias. Mexican cinema is infused with the comedy that Mario Moreno perfected, making every performance of his something special, though very similar from film to film (at least from the few works of his that I've seen). Director Sebastian del Amo gives us his best take at the life of one of the best comic actors ever to live, but ultimately succumbs to the pitfalls that plague biopics of this nature. The film's stronger points are focusing on a specific portion of Cantinflas' career than giving us a career spanning film done in the style of Citizen Kane or something. The film is a portrait of the man behind the character and the lines blurred by his life as both.

The film is told through flashbacks after we meet Michael Todd (Michael Imperioli), a studio veteran preparing to direct his first major motion picture, Around the World in 80 Days. His problem? His vision is massive, wanting stars from all over the world. His superiors at United Artists doubt his ability to turn in such a product, trying to swoon Elizabeth Taylor (Barbara Mori literally looking pretty). Cantinflas (played by Oscar Janeda) was one of the stars on his list. He ends up turning down the part, refusing to simply shoot a cameo. The flashback scenes consist of Mario Moreno's struggles as he begins his career working in vaudeville type tents. He meets the Russian Schilinsky family , launching his career and under them, creates the Cantinflas persona.

The problem I find with most biopics, looking past the usual cliches that make them up, are the actual scope of the film. At first glance, I would have said that the picture tried to fit too much of his life into it's 102 minute runtime, but it ended up making sense. Instead of encompassing Moreno's entire life, the film gives us everything we needed to know regarding what lead to his involvement in Around the World. The script also attempts to tighten its grasp on the story with a press conference regarding the film, by which Todd must have control of his picture, or lose. The second half of the film however, isn't as strong as I wanted it to be.

Jaenada gives what's probably on of the best performances I've seen this year. Cantinflas lived through his performance, often times forgetting I was watching an actor. The film begins to fall apart in the second half as Moreno's wife, played by Ilse Salas. An element of romanticism that was present in the film's opening is lost and instead the script meanders along, expecting us to feel for the characters even though we're not given enough of a depiction of the man and his character. I would have liked to see longer scenes between Moreno and Valentina as opposed to the glimpses of her emotional loneliness and the his solitude being brought on by fame and people unwilling to understand his ability to improvise.

Del Amo's direction ultimately proves to be a little bland, causing the picture to come off as more of a stage play than a film. His scenes are sparsely populated, but the ones taking place in Mexico are fantastic. Cinematographer gives Carlos Hidalgo gives the film a beautiful look. The scene in which Valentina and Mario move into their new apartment after marriage is gorgeous. Everything from the way the light is caught in the actor's hair to the score by Roque Baños is perfect. However, the film doesn't capture that same magic again for the rest of its runtime. If you can look past Imperoli's downright awful wig (that's easily the worst thing about this film), you'll find a film about a special man that graced us with his presence for a short amount of time on this earth. But we were all damn lucky enough that he stepped in front of a camera, giving us a gift that will last for much longer than any of us.