Compadres

This was the first truly bilingual film I have ever seen. No, it's not merely a film where people talk in two languages. It's the first I've seen where the events unfold in two languages and the audience processes them accordingly. I didn't know what effect it would have on me at first, despite knowing both English and Spanish. However, after watching "Compadres", I saw that, if anything, it gave the film a richness that made it fun to watch.

Alas, after watching the film, I couldn't help but feel as though I just sat through a six-month telenovela hastily condensed into an hour-and-a-half work: The scope was clearly a grand one, but director Enrique Begne's execution suggested he was well out of his depth, since he botched quite a number of elements along the way. To wit, the editing appeared rushed and scattered, with some scenes leaving out plot-critical shots of items and people that are normally taken for granted in other films. The music was all over the place, ranging from twisted to tender, while an equally erratic score filled the crevices. Additionally, there were actions by the characters in certain scenes, such as Garza randomly kissing the waitress at the diner, that felt out of place; they were probably inserted just to extract a laugh from the audience when, truth be told, they didn't need to. Even the opening title credits looked half- baked, as though they came straight out of a student copy of Adobe Flash. These factors converged to derail the film's tone, leaving one convinced that Begne simply could not decide what flavor of story he wanted to tell. Maybe a glance at Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown" could have helped.

And yet... you can't help but immerse yourself in the experience, despite the above lapses in judgment. Omar Chaparro (as the stoic Mexican cop Garza) and Joey Morgan (as the bumbling but good-hearted computer hacker Vic) make for an enjoyably discordant duo, showing that strong characters backed by capable actors do matter. The desolate landscapes and grimy city scenes add to the alienation that slowly grates on Garza and Vic. In the face of relentless backstabbing and setbacks, their budding friendship is the only thing left that they believe in, and that modicum of hope is just enough to push them forward, to search for the truth, to save each other's lives. Said tribulations have their own share of twists and surprises (with competent explanations on the side) to mystify but not confuse. The story that pierces through the poor choices made by the filmmakers successfully keeps the audience in the game and endears the lively cast of characters to the moviegoers.

By the end of the film, you'll want to see Garza and Vic head out for another adventure, one you would gladly pay a matinée ticket for. Hopefully, some better production personnel will be in tow.

Wow am I impressed! When I first saw this I thought to myself: " Well if they didn't get a cheap version of Jonah hill to make an American style Comedy Movie about nerds done by Mexicans. What a cheap gimmick." Yet that is not the case at all. When you give the movie a chance, you find out, that the ruddy "kid", Actually does a good job acting. He did a good job, unlike minor characters in low grade American Comedy movies. The movie actually has substance. I Enjoyed the many different types of Mexican Personalities portrayed in this movie. It gives International audiences a glimpse into personalities not typically portrayed even in Mexican Cinema. Whats really cool about the Film is that it feels like you're reading a Comic Book. Nothing too deep, while at the same time having enough Interesting Scenarios to keep you entertained, and the right amount of sentimentalism to keep you engaged with the Character's Relationships. This is the first Mexican Cinema Film in which I have seen the use of Odd Pair characters, which I believe was used effectively in this film. I personally enjoyed the Mexican Beauties portrayed in this Film. I believe it is about time someone portrayed what Hot Mexican girls actually look like. It was fun to see the director, allow the women to be themselves and portray normal Mexican girls instead of the typical seductive Spanish Señorita, Salma Hayek was turned into by her agents. Also, the amount of cameos by Major and Minor Mexican and Chicano celebrities was astounding. I really enjoyed that as a fan of these celebrities.

I'm sure I would have enjoyed this movie more if I was ready for mostly subtitles. Most movies today have different languages, which is fine. IDMB lists this as English/Spanish. It should be Spanish/English. 95 % in Spanish. Agian that's fine if that is what you are looking for.

The rest is just to fulfill the character requirements. I know there are movies made all over the world for different audiences. Of course. Actually I watch enough movies wirh Spanish in it that I have been taking an online Spanish course for two years. Sadly Spanish spoken at normal speed is not for rookies.

All that being said Adios.

The IMDb indicated that this movie, in English, would open 6 April, so I was curious when it opened here in Acapulco on April 1, advertised as a Spanish language film. About half the dialog in the version I saw was in funny but very vulgar Spanish (without titles) and half in English (with Spanish subtitles).

Compadres (Buddies) is an above average buddy flick with more than a little violence. It starts Omar Chaparro and Joey Morgan as the buddies, and both are great. Eric Roberts and Kevin Pollack, who are listed first and second in the IMDb cast list have minor roles and both are them more than adequate. The 'storyline' says the cop's wife is killed but in the version I saw, it's his girlfriend (novia) who is kidnapped.

As large as the United States is, it only borders two other nations, so it make sense that there's a lot of cooperation among the film industries of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. In the case of Mexico (even more so than with Canada), this geographic and cultural relationship results in many co-productions AND American movies with a strong cross-cultural connection. Excellent films since the turn of the century that fall into one of these categories include 2006's "Pan's Labyrinth", the 2006 Best Picture Oscar nominee "Babel" and 2004's Best Picture Oscar winner "Crash", plus, in 2015 alone, "Spare Parts", "McFarland USA", "Sicario" and the Oscar-nominated documentary "Cartel Land". One 2016 addition is the Mexican-produced bi-lingual comedy-drama "Compadres" (R, 1:41), which, unlike some of the examples above, includes major Mexican movie stars alongside well-known American character actors.

The Spanish word "compadre" usually refers to the god-parent relationship between two families, but it's also used more liberally to refer to a companion who is regarded as family or as a very close friend. Of course, some people can be all of the above. That's the relationship between Mexican police officer Diego Garza (Omar Chaparro) and his partner on the force, which just heightens Garza's grief when his compadre is killed in a drug bust. Garza successfully arrests the drug kingpin known as Santos (Erick Elías) but Santos quickly escapes from custody and kidnaps Garza's new girlfriend, Maria (Aislinn Derbez, the daughter of Mexican actors and the star of the delightful 2015 Mexican rom-com "A la mala").

With information gained from his former boss on the police force (José Sefami) and an FBI contact (Eric Roberts, he of 150 film and TV appearances from 2011-2015), Garza figures out a way to get to Santos – or make Santos come to him. It turns out that a San Diego businessman (Kevin Pollak, from "Avalon", "A Few Good Men", "Casino" and "The Usual Suspects") and a computer hacker have managed to steal $10 million from Santos. Garza wants to get that money and use it as leverage against Santos. Garza ends up contacting a possible Santos connection whom the FBI calls "the accountant". That person turns out to be a nerdy/sweet 17-year-old hacker named Vic (Joey Morgan, from 2015's underrated "Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse"). When the original hacker turns up dead, Garza takes Vic to look for the hacker's financier. As Garza and Vic follow one lead after another, Santos' men are hot on their trail – especially two bumbling but ruthless henchmen, one with a gun and the other with a flamethrower.

"Compadres" is fun, but formulaic. Its overall tone calls to mind the 2015 Spanish-language comedy "Ladrones" (a joint American-Dominican production that takes place in Mexico). The flow of its story is similar to 1990's "Kindergarten Cop" and the "Lethal Weapon" sequels with Joe Pesci – movies with openings and underlying plots which are deadly serious, but with humorous lines and situations, and characters who serve as comic relief. (And that flamethrower reminds me of the similarly over-the-top weapon of choice used by Javier Bardem's character in "No Country for Old Men".) The acting's generally solid, but sometimes lacks energy. The direction of Enrique Begne is loose, while the script by Begne, Ted Perkins and Gabriel Ripstein features entertaining dialog, but unoriginal plot points. The action scenes are good and the plot has a couple twists, but most of the film is predictable. The jokes are sometimes funny, but it's the overall sense of fun that's consistent. "Compadres" is a fairly entertaining movie that is more than the sum of its parts. "B"