Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violent, crude Spanish Will Ferrell comedy not for everyone.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Casa de mi Padre
What's the Story?
Armando (Will Ferrell) is an earthy, simple son of a Mexican rancher. When his flashy brother, Raul (Diego Luna), returns home with a sexy new fiancée. Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez), there's great rejoicing; Raul could help save the family business. Unfortunately, no one knows that Raul has begun dealing drugs and is now involved with the villainous Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal). As Armando deals with his own dark past and his sudden feelings for Sonia, he must decide how far he's willing to go to save his family -- and to at last become a man.
Is It Any Good?
Ferrell is most likely laughing hysterically behind the scenes of this peculiar movie, but whether or not audiences will join him is another matter. Aside from being presented almost entirely in Spanish with English subtitles, CASA DI MI PADRE has a hard-to-explain humor that's a mix of deadpan, offbeat, quirky, and juvenile comedy, with arrhythmic timing and punchlines.
Ferrell and his writer, Andrew Steele, and director, Matt Piedmont (both Saturday Night Live alums making their feature debuts), shape Casa di mi Padre as a vague spoof of Mexican soap operas and 1970s-era grindhouse movies; it has no easy target and often no particular target at all. It's filled with obviously fake painted backdrops and studio sets (though they're beautifully and moodily lit) and prop horses. Jokes like the ones here may elicit dead silence, but -- like the cult films Office Space, Zoolander, and Napoleon Dynamite -- Casa di mi Padre is the kind of thing that viewers may find themselves laughing at the next day, or upon a second or third viewing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Casa di mi Padre's extreme gore and violence. Is it clear that the scenes are meant to be funny/played for laughs? How can you tell?
The movie's lengthy sex scene is also seemingly played for laughs. Is it harder to portray tender emotions onscreen than it is to go over the top with crude humor? Why?
Is Ferrell's character a coward? Is it necessary to be violent to show bravery? What are other ways of showing bravery?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 16, 2012
- On DVD or streaming : July 17, 2012
- Cast : Diego Luna , Gael Garcia Bernal , Will Ferrell
- Director : Matt Piedmont
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Pantelion
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 84 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : bloody violence, language, some sexual content and drug use
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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