Which Way, Por Favor?

This is a sweet little movie. Proof that a small budget film can be very big on heart and soul. Great scenic footage of coastal Mexico and an appealing cast of eccentric young travelers who discover a few snakes in their tropical garden (so to speak).

What I liked most is the storyline: It's both accessible and and fun -- yet also daring enough to be intimate, funny and touching in unexpected ways.

Oh, and GREAT music! Cool mix of Latin genres, including pop, rock and Mexican ranchera classics featuring fresh recordings not available anywhere else.

Recently I have just gotten sick of Hollywood films. I am tired of seeing the same old actors doing the same old things. I have never seen anything like this movie before. Sure, it obviously is not big budget or anything, but it is just so watchable (is that a word?) and funny...and even moving, at times. Everything is done beautifully. It doesn't have that cheap look some indies do.

Everyone in this movie is on a quest. After a hilarious misunderstanding that occurs during a conversation, Zack, this totally crazy, totally earnest young man, becomes convinced that an inn-keeper, Alfredo, is Carlos Castaneda's Don Juan. Zack decides to work for him so "Don Juan" can teach him all his mysterious lore. Meanwhile, the kid is just cleaning up around the hotel. Alfredo and his lovely, estranged daughter Ana are on a quest to rebuild their relationship and save themselves. A young couple, Alisa and Nathanial, are trying to save their relationship. Hmmm, some of this SOUNDS ordinary, but it is just so DIFFERENT. Maybe it's the magic of Mexico -- it was filmed in gorgeous Yelapa. That place is just so beautiful. After watching the film I felt like I had been on a vacation (and watching this was way cheaper than traveling to Mexico!). I loved it.

It's a real pleasure seeing something as refreshingly un-Hollywood as this film. It's well done -- and it truly is, for lack of a better word,independent. And original. And quirky and weird. Watch it if you are in the mood for something new and different and totally beautiful.

This movie has a natural exuberance distinctly not the result of big stars or fast-action or urban glam. Two other things I liked about this movie:the characters are real people, not fantasy Hollywood people. Its refreshing to see a movie in which the actors are not big professionals with big Hollywood personas. They do a better job of acting real ordinary people with ordinary and flawed personalities like the rest of us. I also liked it because the occasional interspersing of nature shots, Mexican wildlife, gila monsters, lizards was so interesting and tastefully done. The music was also first class and matched the story and pace perfectly.

What a charming little movie! If you love Mexico, especially those isolated little beaches where the locals welcome travelers with a smile, this is a film for you. Interesting characters and story with twists, gorgeous scenery, and a pleasing dose of off-beat humor captures the essence of alternative travel experiences. The Director's Audio Commentary is heart-felt and informative and gives us insights into the Deleted Scenes as well. Recommended.

This film is nice and enjoyable, as long as you take it on its own terms.

The Mexican beach town is lovely, and the local Mexicans charming, but the film overall has the feel of an improv done on vacation (which it may actually have been). The director's comments on the DVD pretty much confirm this impression, as does the fact that the actors get credit for helping to create the characters, and that IMDb shows almost no other filmwork by any of them.

The technical production quality is good, but the writing/directing/acting are all pretty clearly student-level work. Nicely done, and I hope these folks get to do more in the future, but they are also all pretty clearly still learning their crafts. The acting sometimes fails, the writing is full of predictable clichés, the continuity fails noticeably in places, etc.

But it is still enjoyable.