Chasing Papi
By Nell Minow,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Stereotyped Latino sitcom about a cheating man.
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Chasing Papi
Community Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Good Movie
This movie was sort of silly. I was a little disappointed because I thought it would be better.
What's the Story?
Papi (Mexican television star Eduardo Verastegui) has successfully kept the three women he is dating from finding out about each other until they all decide to surprise him at the same time. They are Cici (Colombian actress Sofia Vergara), who seems to be channeling Charo as a big-hair, tush-shaking spitfire; Lorena (Puerto Rican actress Roselyn Sanchez), a serious, poetry-loving lawyer; and Patricia (Texan singer Jaci Velasquez), a pampered debutante with her daddy's credit cards and a cute little dog. When they find out he has been seeing all of them, they are angry with each other, not him. As they have to work together to keep him hidden until he wakes up from a tranquilizer-induced stupor, they discover that they are getting more from themselves and each other than they ever got from him.
Is It Any Good?
Chiquita Banana and the Frito Bandito were subtle compared to the caricatures of Latino culture in this movie, but because it was created by Latinos, it is supposed to be all right. The story is basically a salsa-flavored but otherwise very traditional door-slamming/ mix-up of identical bags farce.
CHASING PAPI has signifiers of Hispanic culture (everyone stops every day to watch superstar astrologer Walter Mercado on television) but it stays very generic because it wants to avoid splintering its audience by identifying its characters as being from any particular culture. The result is as shallow as a sit-com, without any of the real ethnic flavor of movies like Mi Familia or What's Cooking. And it wastes the talents of its attractive performers by forcing them to try to disguise outlandish plot hoops that make no sense with over-the-top mugging and yelling.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Papi had a hard time making up his mind and why the women blamed each other instead of him.
Movie Details
- In theaters: April 16, 2003
- On DVD or streaming: August 26, 2003
- Cast: Eduardo Verastequi , Roselyn Sanchez , Sofia Vergara
- Director: Linda Mendoza
- Inclusion Information: Female directors, Latino directors, Latino actors, Female actors
- Studio: Warner Bros.
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 100 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: mild sexuality and language.
- Last updated: March 11, 2023
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