A la mala

I saw this Spanish language film with English subtitles yesterday with four other people. All of us rated this as a good film, and only three of five of us spoke Spanish, so I think anyone could enjoy the movie, even if one had to read the subtitles, which were very clear.

As the film begins, it seems like a typical romantic comedy, and maybe it ultimately is, but the actors, the direction, the camera work, and the soundtrack combine to carry the film's all too familiar plot. Especially good are the lead actress herself(Aislinn Derbez)and the music soundtrack.

I do wish there would have been more scenes that made the viewer aware that the film was taking place in its supposed setting, México City. There were a few shots, but the film almost gave the impression that it was taking place in the U.S., it looked so clean. But that is a minor detail.

So overall, "A la Mala" is a solid romantic comedy from México. Check it out.

I am beginning to worry about Mexico, no, not talking about migrants, drugs, corruption, poverty, but its TV and film industry. Even worse than Bollywood, it seems to also offer little in terms of creative thoughtful storytelling as well as the acting to go along with it. This entertainment is just another form of their obsessively popular beauty pageants and wealth & image displaying Catholic Institutions just to pick two parallel examples. More of the same romance laced, peacock parading, monied caricatured themes pervasive in their TV & film. In other words this film, surprise surprise, had beautiful women, attractive males both displaying above average wealth and all playing the romantic hook up games with subsequent betrayals, dust-ups. The plot? An attractive female is hired by her friends, and through word of mouth & social media, others to entice their prospective mates into betrayal in order to test their commitment. Of course things go awry when one of those guy dogs actually loves (yes, it shows up) her.

Overdone plot, the dialogue is the worst thing about this movie. Insipid, forced, unnatural, adds nothing to the movie, explains plot points as if its plot was convoluted or complex. The movie could have been a silent film and it would have been an improvement. Clichés abound in this movie and it seems it was shot and directed by a someone who has had experience only shooting medical commercials and a couple of music videos-- the look is sterile, the shots by-the-book, kinda boring, bland. Aislinn Derbez does what she can with what she was given. She's a looker, alright, gorgeous eyes. But acting, in general, in this movie is wooden and a bit cringe-worthy at times. There's little chemistry between the two main characters. Emphasis was placed on actors looking gorgeous and flawless (even when "crying"). The writer/s seemed to not know how to develop a story like this. Characters stay two- dimensional throughout the movie and their actions and reactions are inconsistent. I think that there are other better chick flicks you can invest your time watching. Not the worst movie ever, but it's not very good.

Has no substance, unfunny. Dialog and scenarios are unconvincing. Wife and I stopped watching after only 30 minutes.

Romance has no single language and neither does comedy. Funny in one country is often funny in another and love can easily be understood in any language. That's what makes "A la mala" (PG-13, 1:39) so appealing – and a joy to experience regardless of language. The film was made in Mexico and received a limited release in the U.S. the day after opening south of the border.

The title character, whose name in the film is actually Maria Laura Medina (Aislinn Derbez), is a beautiful and talented, but struggling actress. As a favor to her roommate, Kika (Papile Aurora), who thinks her boyfriend may be a cheater, Maria stages an "accidental" meeting with him and, somewhat awkwardly, comes on to him. He takes the bait and Maria is forced to tell Kika that her fears about this guy were well-founded. Kika's naturally upset about having to break things off with him, but she's thankful to Maria for saving her worse heartache down the road. Kika considers Maria's favor so valuable, that she asks Maria to do the same thing for her young cousin, who just got engaged. The cousin's fiancé is a cheater too – and Maria's reputation spreads. Although she never sleeps with the men, she actually makes a good business out of testing the fidelity of men for women all around the city who want to be sure if they've found a good and faithful man. And, thus, Mala is born.

The movie's title translates loosely as "turning mean". "A la mala" is a clever contraction of the main character's name that also sums up who she is – at least to her male marks. She even introduces herself to them as "Mala". The men she meets laugh at the apparent contradiction in a beautiful woman going by the name "mean". Rather than being scared off by such a name, they seem all the more attracted to her. The sense of mystery and danger that she embodies draws them in – and enables her to do what she's paid for. Her undeniable beauty and her talents as an actress make her the perfect person to perform this service for the women of Mexico City. Maria doesn't like being Mala, but she continues taking these jobs to pay the bills, while looking for a stable job as a real actress. And then, she finds one – or at least the possibility of one.

Maria has an excellent audition for a role in a new television show, but there's a problem. Her reputation has preceded her. Patricia (Daniela Schmidt), one of the show's producers, wants Maria to do her "Mala" act on Patricia's old boyfriend, Santiago (accomplished Mexican actor Mauricio Ochmann) – but with a twist. Santiago dumped Patricia and she wants him to suffer. She wants Mala to make Santiago fall in love with her, and then dump him, so Patricia can swoop in, lick his wounds, and win him back. Maria/Mala is reluctant, but Patricia holds over her head what may end up being the big break that Maria has been working for. She hesitates – until she meets the guy, someone with whom she herself had recently had an unpleasant run-in. This makes things both easier and more difficult at the same time. Either way, Maria's career hangs in the balance – but so does her integrity and pride.

"A la Mala" is formulaic, but very well put together. Any fan of American rom-coms will recognize the characters and the way the story is progressing, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. In fact, this is the most enjoyable and satisfying romantic comedy that I've seen in quite a while. The fact that almost every line was in Spanish didn't bother me at all. In fact, I find the Mexican style of filmmaking fresh and fun. This movie has the feel of a telenovela – but with better lighting, better camera work and better acting. The movie is sweet, funny and simply very good. Derbez is a pleasure to watch and has the acting chops to keep up with Ochmann every step of the way. The story is everything you'd want in a romantic comedy and it makes for a very enjoyable movie. "A-"