'Casa de mi Padre' Review
In 'Casa de mi Padre', Will Ferrell and company once again dive into their obsession for everything bad in the 1970's. This time, they parody, quite well, the bad Spanish Western tele-novels. Right down to the terrible sets, bad music and even worse acting, Ferrell takes what should have been, at best, a short on Funnyordie.com and turned it into a very funny movie. While some of the jokes get a little beaten to death (what Will Ferrell movie DOESN'T do that?), overall it is one of the funniest movies you will go to the theater and read!
All of the dialog, with the exception of a few short bits, is in Spanish with English subtitles; personally I think it would have been funnier with bad English dubbing. Ferrell is Armando Ernesto, a very sweet if not simple rancher who finds himself in the middle of a drug war that his younger brother has started. Watching Ferrell play the part of a Mexican rancher, speaking in very fluent Spanish and never apologizing for it seems like it is a one joke bit. But writer Andrew Steele and director Matt Piedmont smartly allow the joke to fade within the first moments and let Ferrell play the character. Soon, we are no longer snickering at Ferrell playing Hispanic (almost as funny as when Tony Curtis played a Roman slave in 'Spartacus', Brooklyn accent and all), but we are laughing at the absurdness of each bit.
The supporting cast is equally as funny and unapologetic of the spoof. Efren MaRamirez (Napoleon Dynamite) and Adrian Martinez (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) play the goofy buddies who are content to follow their simple friend. The late Pedro Armendariz Jr is Armando's father; Armendariz, a Spanish soap star, filled the part perfectly and happily set up the very thing that made him famous. Diago Luna was simply hilarious as the younger brother hoping to be a big time drug lord and Genesis Rodriguez is a stunning beauty as equally unafraid of comedy.
A lesser cast would not have been able to pull off what arguably could have been a one liner movie. True, this is not a comedy for everyone, the jokes may wear thin and at times you may feel like it is dragging on forever (the joke that is); but that is the genus of Ferrell and company. They not only have the power to do something like this, but the creativity to pull it off. Scenes are set with a wink and a nudge; the set up often a little laborious, but the pay off hilariously funny.
In a limited release, this is a 3 star effort that may be worth the trip to a theater a bit farther away. Be warned, you will leave the theater with a craving for a burritto or two! While not one of Ferrell's best effort, a very good comedy that challenges you and earns your laughter!