No manches Frida

I just watched the movie and I spent a good time at it. It's a remake of the German film "Fack ju Göhte" just tropicalized for the Mexican environment -not without some inconsistencies by the way. The film is mostly fun but let's say that I have never known of a school like this in Mexico. It is not just the kind of circumstances depicted in the movie, I mean the school itself -don't try to find one like that in Mexico. Nevertheless this factors do not affect too much the general smiles and laughs that it pretends to deliver. I cannot speak for the international audience that could see this film but from the point of view of the mexicans, even though it is plagued of silly jokes and fault language and situations, it is a film that you can enjoy if you are in the mood. Definitively not the most funny picture I've seen but it worth the ticket. Have fun.

The story might be forgettable, the plot and the characters might not be interesting, but it is fun-time. It is that light comedy that relies on grotesque, constant swearing and sexual humor (also slapstick); but it manages well in that route. The movie has its highlights and its flaws, so:

The tone and environment of the film create this sensation of absurdity. Teachers that allow students to bully them literally, and students that in other terms succumb to terrorism; the less than professional attitude of anyone involved with the school and the cheerful secondary characters also make the movie bearable. The humor of the movie establishes on swearing, grotesque and sexual situations, and semi-constant slapstick; which works fine with the movie's essence. The course words and bothering phrases provide morbid and healthy laughs. It might not be quality humor, but functional humor at some points.

The characters though thinly written are very likable: The dumb and senseless students that give meaning to the also senseless plot and the uninterested and unprofessional teachers that fall upon the student's dictatorship. Now, our two leads: the street punk and the shy wannabe-someone-to-change-the-world sweet and dumb girl. These two characters allow you to like the movie, despite certain flaws.

So, the very same strengths that the movie has, are also its weaknesses. The swearing sometimes is taken to the point you get bored of the repetitive and insulting dialogue. The slapstick is also in some moments of the movie too generic and basically that, non-funny slapstick. The movie also focuses heavily on marketing and selling the "pretty faces", which gives more importance to the actors involved rather than the characters themselves. Finally, the sexual humor provides funny moments, but is also taken to the limit, and ends up feeling unnecessary.

FINAL CONSENSUS: Though generic and clichéd, also in a light way exclusive for Mexicans to understand, the movie has some moments.

I usually have the 'opportunity' to see trailers on theaters almost every month and also catch tons of advertisement of the same matter even on Youtube adds. We're told to support national arts and cinema overall, but watching the kind of crap they have been producing, it's almost painful to bear.

This movie entertains, but sometimes it turns into some cringy moments where you can't find a place to hide, so you can avoid such shame. It's not different from other new mexican films like 'How to be a Latinlover', '3 Friends (also a remake)', or 'Treintona, Soltera y Fantástica': all just a bunch of insignificant movies, that you'd watch in a family night, just to pass the time, but nothing too serious. Besides, the plot is somehow unreal and absurd. I've never seen a high school where you can throw feces to your professors, or that kind of stuff. The humor was silly but not extremely ridiculous, I must admit.

The movie is not too bad to deserve a review, it's just that there's a wide distribution of these irrelevant and pathetic films in Mexico, instead of supporting the art, the cinema which is really worth it, and no one cares about.

Watch and enjoy, it's fun. Not a critically acclaimed movie, its just fun.

High School college movies and the like are usually clichés and boring, however, I have a crush on the faculty version, here we have a lot of exaggerations, satires, the clichés remain, bullying too, but I found the teacher relationship very cute, and even cute rebel vs rebel students, young people need affection, cuddly...