In terms of Brazilian biopics it's fair to say "Minha Fama de Mau ("My Bad Boy Fame") is a spectacle of multiple qualities, both as depicting the late 1950's and 1960's and
also with the performance of Chay Suede in the role of famous rock n'roll Erasmo Carlos in a story that deals with his early struggles to become a singer a few years before joining
Jovem Guarda and achieving stardom. It is based on Erasmo's autobiography and it encompass from his days before fame, acting as a juvenile rebel stealing junkyards alongside future
singer Tim Maia, his desire to become a rock star by singing American classics from the 1950's then starting to compose his own music, of which later on attracted the attention
of rising star Roberto Carlos of whom they'd become friends for life sharing many musical moments.
It's a fine movie that works its ways even if even mostly about it seems all too colorful or all too happy, it isn't one of those tragic biopics where you have huge rises and huge
downs moments, and there are plenty of humored moments and breaking of the fourth wall with Suede sharing Erasmo visions and dreams. I'm not well versed about the man and Jovem Guarda,
so my opinion is less influenced when it comes to facts I can't verify, track down or even as if I lived that moment. What I share here is the experience of seeing the legacy of a man
of whom I never seen a negative opinion about it but that doesn't mean the movie doesn't show unflattering or conflicting moments about him, since those moments existed and he was candid
about or other people close to him were candid to him about what really happened. It's not all about a fight to fame but also about how to mantain it and the struggles one faces it
when challenged with the obstacles of life. Many biographical movies went down that road so it's obvious this one wouldn't escape that but for what it presents and what it shows, it's
still a magnificent film to see.
Some people don't give Chay much credit for his roles, maybe because he was sort of a teen musical star in an almost forgotten project or it's simply because of his great looks, but
my opinion is not based on that since I grew to know in two different telenevolas (one that I only seen bits and other in which followed almost everything). As for the parenthesis thoughts,
I saw an actor transforming in whoever he was playing: a bad guy with imposing manners and a shy guy who was devoted to his mother; and those were unusual parallels to see how he deveolped
those roles, and in between those, this movie came out and I only had the chance to watch very recently (in fact, right after Erasmo's passing) and I had to recognize that this young man
is a really good movie star as well. He doesn't lip-synch to Erasmo songs, he performs them all - which might not work much with those who know Erasmo and his magnificent voice - but for
cinematic purposes I think it fits (as for the actor who plays Roberto Carlos he had to be dubbed because Roberto's voice is unmistakable and an attempt to impersonate it wouldn't work at
all).
Lui Farias is a very good director, with a short resume but quite impressive, and this one really was something special. Not sure how much it covers from Erasmo autobiography, or
detailed or reduced it was but I accepted. If not completely accurate, at least it's informative about Brazilian society of the period covered, it was entertaining, humored, at times
quite dramatic and it was a story that many generations lived and missed with plenty of fond memories. Of course, to anyone outside of the period, non fans or future fans of the
singer/composer it's a perfectly executed film to understand what tickled one of the most rebellious rock stars of then young Brazilian rock. 10/10.
