Review of Casa de Mi Padre (2012) by Jeff L — 26 Aug 2012

WILL Ferrell speaking Spanish for an entire movie? Thatâ(TM)s what viewers will think when the opening credits roll for this flick directed by Matt Piedmont.

Whereâ(TM)s the traditional Ferrell wit and humour? The humour is sparse but Ferrell does play half-wit Armando Alvarez, whoâ(TM)s the butt of jokes in his ranching family.

The father and eldest favoured son Raul (Diego Luna of Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, 2004) ridicule him for being stupid and a virgin and he accepts it good-naturedly.

But when Raulâ(TM)s girlfriend, Sonia (the luscious Genesis Rodriguez, who appeared in the abominable Man On A Ledge), struts into their house, his life is turned upside down; their eyes meet and nothing else matters. (For a more serious interpretation of lust and unbridled sexual desire, see Damage).

Raul is his fatherâ(TM)s jewel in the crown but heâ(TM)s actually in cahoots with drug baron Orza (Gael García Bernal of Motorcycle Diaries. He and Luna appeared in Y Tu Mama Tambien).

So now the half-wit has to outwit his brother and the drug lord, and win back the sexy girl of his dreams.

Of course, he needs the help of the USâ(TM) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), because Mexicans canâ(TM)t tackle their own problems and need the help of blancos (whites) up north.

Orzaâ(TM)s gunmen thrash Raul and Soniaâ(TM)s wedding and abduct Sonia. Armando dresses up in his Sunday best (a cross adorns the back of his white outfit) and then goes on a Rambo-like rampage at Orzaâ(TM)s casa to get her back.

Viewers will notice how all the gun shots have the same blood splatter.

After getting the girl back, Armando says his desire to wipe out the drug menace shows that not all Mexicans are druggies.

The movie purports to be a comedy, but, to me, itâ(TM)s more about a revenge fantasy in a dysfunctional family.

When he was a kid, Armando accidentally shot and killed his mother when they were threatened by would-be rapists at a lake.

One of the would-be rapists becomes a police chief, and Armando, naturally, gets to exact revenge on the chief for his malicious act.

Also, itâ(TM)s not unusual for the movie to use fake backdrops, like when Armando first spots Orza killing someone, and at the lake, the site of many sensuous scenes, especially when Armando and Sonia take a dip together.

I mentioned earlier that Armando is the butt of many jokes, but he gets another form of revenge when he and the delectable Sonia work their butts off together.