Burn This House

by Thomas Willett

10:00pm PST, March 21, 2012

Over the past few years, there have been numerous movies satirizing the grindhouse genre. From a cost standpoint, it makes sense to lampoon how low budgeted and clichéd films were. However, there was a core to them that often surpassed the cheap feel. Movies like Black Dynamite understand this and pay respect as an actual exploitation film while also heightening the flaws. The latest entry is director Matt Piedmont’s Mexican telenovela satire Casa de mi Padre about a cowardly rancher (Will Ferrell) who becomes the hero by taking down an evil drug dealer (Gael Garcia Bernal).

The movie starts with an insult to the audience by stating that the proceeding film is in Spanish. With a nauseating yet ambitious looking James Bond-style opening credits with music by Christina Aguilera, this film has already presented itself in a very lopsided manner. Is it going to be really shoddy and unambitious, or somewhat appealing? Within the first ten minutes, it is established in a scene involving extended laughter that this movie finds itself more amusing than any viewer ever could. The rest of the film features numerous flaws, all intentional and meant for humor, but it creates a sense of disrespect for the genre.

At best the cinematography feels fitting. With a couple of filters, this film feels a little cheap in a respectful way. The choice to also film the movie with a dominant cast of Mexican actors (including Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, of Y tu mama tambien fame) and spoken in Spanish also gives this film a little sense of authenticity. However, it feels like the hands of Ferrell that tear apart a decent set up by adding broad jokes about the cheap quality of telenovelas. This would be good if it didn’t overpower the actual narrative. It does constantly enough that the predictable nature keeps the movie from gaining momentum.

It also hurts the film that Ferrell is actually the lead. While he speaks Spanish with some fluidity, he manages to look stilted next to fluent natives such as Bernal and Luna. Even Nick Offerman’s few scenes involving badly accented Spanish provide some comical touches. The supporting cast’s ability to emote heavily while rambling breathes some life into the story. It also makes for some of the most genuine moments. If Ferrell had a smaller role and this had a better writer than Andrew Steele, this could have been a great effort and one that deserves praise for more than its ambitious goal.

As a satire, it feels very amateurish. There are moments where props replace horses for no reason, and while funny once, it becomes a distractingly awful running gag. There is little humor drawn from the actual characters and instead on how stupid and cheap the sets are. The problem is that there is nothing clever done with it. By the time that Ferrell breaks out into a song called “Yo No Se”, it just becomes clear as the song professes the actor’s lack of intelligence. There isn’t enough depth to make this a solid commentary because it doesn’t create any trust to be more than haphazard shticks done in Spanish.

Casa de mi Padre is a misfire on most levels. While it’s bold in its decision to be in Spanish, that’s about where it stops being interesting. At no point does this feel like a sharp commentary on telenovelas. It comes across as an insult to the grindhouse style it tries to lampoon. With a great supporting cast that gets little to work with, there are remnants of what could have been. They provide some enjoyment, but it’s the intentional shoddy production that keeps the story from ever holding interest. Maybe with a different crew, this could have held its weight against Black Dynamite by glorifying the ridiculous while telling a real story. If it wasn’t for the language, this film would be easily forgettable. Instead it will be known by a more gimmicky phrase: the bad comedy where Will Ferrell speaks Spanish.