El rey de los huevones

Anselmo, the hero of this Chilean comedy, is a man whose fellow taxi drivers consider a jerk. Having found a bag containing a lot of money, he returned it to the police, something that was considered a stupid thing to do by an element in the society that wouldn't have batted an eyelash in keeping the money, had the situation involved them.

The story starts at the airport in Santiago, where we watch everybody beating Anselmo to prospective customers right under his nose. Anselmo observes a mysterious young woman with a small child. While she makes a phone call, the little boy goes stealing candy from a shop. Little does he know that he is about to embark in the biggest adventure of his life, when Eva, who has arrived in Santiago for unknown business, hires him to take her and the little boy to a place downtown.

Adrian, the little boy, is left in Anselmo's care against his will, as Eva promises to pay him well for his effort. The only problem Anselmo has is how can he explain the boy's presence in his apartment to Sandra, a neighbor, who is his secret love. There's one problem though, Sandra is engaged to be married to Anselmo's best friend!

Boris Quercia, the writer-director of this sunny comedy, works hard in front, and in back of the camera in order to entertain his audience. His take on this loser, is right on the money. In a society where men are supposed to be a step ahead of the game, the gentle Anselmo seems out of place. Little Diego Hurtado has some great moments in the film as does Tamara Acosta, the sweet Sandra, who realizes how sexually starved this lonely man is.

I thought it was pretty funny, it had a good underlying theme and a good combination of slapstick and other types of humor, while at the same time not getting ridiculous. And there aren't any parts that are thrown in and don't go anywhere, which I feel happens quite frequently with foreign films. It sets the pace right from the get go as far as what to expect from el Rey, he's your classic goody two shoes, he always puts himself last and others first, and other people take advantage of it. When he runs into Eva and her child she takes total advantage of his niceness and the fun begins from there. His friend Mario the security guard is a great supporting character, as well as Mario's fiancé Sandra, who creates some tension with the Rey. This movie has it all, it keeps the laughs coming but it also makes you think, it's something everyone should check out, and it's even more enjoyable if you watch it in it's original language. A victory for Chilean film.