Casa De Mi Padre Review
Will Ferrell’s all Spanish language comedy came and went back in the spring. Was this down to an ever decreasing level of quality from the former SNL star or are audiences not ready for full on subtitled Ferrell genius at work: Possibly a bit of both to be honest.
Ferrell does churn out more hit and miss clunkers than he does winners these days, so when the prospect of this concept came about: audiences perhaps groaned at the idea of firstly having to read to catch up, but also by the fact that it all just may not have been worth it anyway.
Casa De MeiPadre actually is probably the funniest film Ferrell has done either side of Anchorman. It’s almost a shame it barely made a dent at the box office. The comedy is toned perfectly for anyone even remotely familiar with cheap Spanish television – from brash loud music exploding into a melodramatic scene to talking stuffed animals. Dodgy rear projection, model cars and some truly terrible stage settings are just a few of the gags along the way.
Ferrell has gone all the way though by taking up the language and convincingly playing is meek dumb son of a ranch owner – caught up in a drug war. Expect beautiful ladies, a zealous younger brother, a unsympathetic father and few dastardly villains to cross his path as he dreams his way out of being a simpleton. Casa De Mi Padre hits far more often than it misses. Perhaps the end gets a little too out of control, but the tongue never moves from the cheek.
Steven Hurst