Director: Ken Marino Starring: Eugenio Derbez, Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell, Raquel Welch, Rob Corddry Studio: Pantelion Films Genre(s): Comedy/Romance Rated: PG-13 (For crude humor, sexual references and gestures, and for brief nudity) |
In the opening scene, our main protagonist narrates what his
father was like when he was a child. His
father worked many long hours to provide for his family. He didn’t see them often, but he made it a
point to drive home when he had time off.
One day he fell asleep at the wheel of his gas truck, ran it through the
house, and no sooner did he say, “I’m fine” the tank explodes, leaving the
family fatherless and homeless within a few seconds. The scene is played strictly for laughs and
has a dark sense of humor about the predicament. This is also the sort of setup that gives the
audience a perfect idea of what they’re in for, and whether or not they will
want to be on that ride. As such, “How
to be a Latin Lover” is one of those movies that neither reinvents the wheel
nor does it try to be anything it’s not.
It knows what it is and it is up to you to decide whether or not you’ll
enjoy yourself.
This is also the type of movie where reviews are maddening
and almost pointless. For it is not the
critics opinion of the film that matters much as does his EXPERIENCE that will
help the reader determine whether this is the sort of thing they will
like! Terms like “it’s a good-hearted
comedy with a hint of Adam Sandler thrown in the mix” might read good on paper
(as well as in a promotional commercial), but it is ultimately meaningless in
the grand scheme of things. For that
matter, enjoyment of the movie will largely depend on how much of lead
protagonist Maximo (Eugenio Derbez) you will be able to take. For if the above scenario taught him
anything, it’s that work is for suckers, and he sets out to marry a wealthy
woman who can take care of him. So, in
all respects he is a professional lover and gigolo, and he isn’t even the nice
kind most of the time.
When that situation goes south he finds himself sleeping on
an air mattress at his estranged sisters house (Sara, played wonderfully by
Salma Hayek) and her son Hugo (Raphael Alejandro). His plan to bounce back from life is to marry
the grandmother of a classmate his nephew has a crush on. His nephew is into nerdy, science stuff
though, and we all know that girls never find that kind of man attractive (ho
ho). So, it’s up to Maximo to teach Hugo
how to be a Latin lover and be a hit with the ladies. I think you all know where this is going,
don’t you? By what little I’ve described
I bet you even already know what the outcome is going to be. The trick for this kind of movie, I suppose,
is to accept the predictableness of the affair and just go along with the
flow. Most people seeing a movie like
this aren’t look for anything deep anyway (that’s what Oscar season is for).
What they are likely to gravitate towards is the humor,
which is a little dark at times but usually within good spirits. I did enjoy seeing Maximo eventually connect
with his nephew and sister and start to bond with his family. I knew it was coming, but these sort of
things are always nice to see. There are
scenes of crude humor that are not funny and a subplot involving men who are
owed money that takes up too much screen time to have enough of a worthwhile
payoff. But, again, it goes back to that
opening scene. It says everything that
needs to be said about the movie. I have
no illusions that the future of “How to be a Latin Lover” is in streaming and
cable. It’s the movie people will stumble
upon, watch for about five minutes out of curiosities sake, and then know what
they’re going to get and whether or not that is something they want to
consume. At this point I could end with
a gag about Taco Bell food, but I think Latino’s would be offended if I made
any joke suggesting they served ‘food’ at all.
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CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there is a LOT of sexual content and humor for a PG-13 film! Most of it with a dark edge. Consider that your warning if this isn't your thing. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
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