Brief Story Line
Olivia Allan (Samara Weaving - Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Guns Akimbo etc) was a very famous actress who was always being followed by paparazzi and did not want them to find out that she was actually seeing someone. Unfortunately, her secret was almost out which could ruin her image. To avoid the disaster, she was advised to pretend dating a valet named Antonio Flores (Eugenio Derbez - Dora and the Lost City of Gold, How to be a Latin Lover etc).
Antonio himself was just a regular man who still lived with his mother Cecilia (Carmen Salinas) as he was separated from his wife Isabel (Marisol Nichols - Spiral: From the Book of Saw, Homeland Security etc). He had a younger sister named Clara (Noemi Gonzalez - Selena: The Series etc) who was married to Benny (Amaury Nolasco - Prison Break TV series etc) and also worked as valet. Antonio's neighborhood was in the process of gentrification by a major real estate company owned by billionaire Vincent Royce (Max Greenfield - New Girl TV series etc) & supported by his wife Kathryn (Betsy Brandt - Breaking Bad TV series etc).
So how would this pretend go? And how would the story conclude? You can find them all in this movie.
End of Brief Story Line
As I said above, I was not aware of the actual premise of the movie until I started watching it. It began with the introduction of the main characters of the high profile young actress and her total opposite of simple, almost middle aged man. While Olivia was shown as a truly successful but no real personal relationship, Antonio was a low level income person from a really big and warm Mexican family. The intriguing part was to find out how these two's life would intertwine and how this act could even happen. And it did not take that long to reach to that part, which obviously was the start of something hilarious.
During that pretend time, it was fun to see how Antonio would be dragged to the glamor of Hollywood through its gala premier and party, plus how the two would know each other better after spending time together. I quite frequently laughed during the movie which made my wife noticed and curious. I think the part that I loved the most was when Benny & the other Valets were confused and shocked at Antonio's "luck". As the story continued though, we got to see a more serious side of the story, especially towards the end which was quite touching & emotional but lovely at the same time.
In the closing credit, I noticed that it was based on the movie directed by Francis Veber. After checking on the internet, it was a 2006 French film of the same title. This remake was directed by Richard Wong whose prior works were mostly as cinematographer and it was written by Bob Fisher (Wedding Crashers, We're the Millers etc) and Rob Greenberg (Meet Dave, Overboard etc). So in terms of writing, they both have experience in comedy movies, which would explain this to be a better than expected comedy that not only focused on raunchy humor but also had an engaging enough story. I also like the way the movie ended which was a bit unexpected and not using the standard formula.
Aside from the two main lead characters, there were few others who formed a nice chemistry. Antonio's mother was one of my favorite with her very funny characterization of an immigrant mother with her amazing relationship with the family. That's why it was also sad to see the words In Loving Memory of Carmen Salinas who passed away in 2021. Amaury Nolasco was also another favorite of mine with his comical expressions. Oh Max Greenfield was very convincing too as the obnoxious Vincent. The rest generally did their job adequately.
Overall this was a pretty well written comedy drama movie. There were plenty of humorous situation arising from the pretending and some heart warming scenes of the big family relationship. After watching the movie, I had a feeling that this would be a well-liked one by critics and it turned out to be correct. I myself like this because of the comedy and the story. Even though it has a duration of little over 2 hours including the closing credits, it was quite a worthwhile experience. So if you are interested in seeing a non typical comedy drama movie, then this one should be to your liking. I am thankful once again that this movie which was released on Hulu is also available in Disney+ and we have the chance to see it.
Mike's movie moments rating: 4 out of 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment