Eddie Reynolds y Los Ángeles de Acero

A box office failure due to a very poor distribution, "Eddie Reynolds" is becoming, nonetheless, a cult film. The biggest compliment I can pay to Moheno's production is to say that it really has got soul. It's memorably gritty at times (the swear-word count is exceptionally high) and also proves wonderfully funny and touching. This is much more than a bog-standard rock comedy. The dialogue has a splendid sarky wit and the exhilaration of making music is beautifully caught. There's a strong sense that for these characters being in a band offers the one real chance of hope and escape. But perhaps that is to make the show sound too solemn. What really strikes home when you are watching it is the personality clashes between the band members, and the exhilaration when they put their art on stage. The star performance, though, comes from Arturo Rios as the prodigious guitar player, Santos. He is memorably obnoxious and steals the show from Damian Alcazar. Needless to say, it's this demented and barely house-trained ego tripper who sows the seeds of the band's destruction, but when Rios is in full anger, this hugely enjoyable movie touches the sublime.

Saw this movie in the last San Diego Latino Film Festival and I still have a smile on my face. The jokes are good, the music loud, but what makes the film so special is that it tells you why you ever bought an album or queued for ten hours in the rain to see Alice Cooper or someone alike. "Eddie Reynolds" chronicles the haphazard resurrection of a fictitious eighties rock group that self-destructed before achieving legendary status... It's difficult to convey the deranged insanities of the rock experience: Rob Reiner managed it in "This Is Spinal Tap" and made us laugh. It's even harder to encapsulate that brief time when the crap falls away and group harmony prevails, as Alan Parker did in "The Commitments". To do both is nearly a miracle and "Eddie Reynolds" somewhat manages to do that. Maybe it's not perfect, but what this movie has in spades though is great comedy writing and exceptionally good performances. But it's the dialogue which makes this rare treat a joy to watch, keeping on the right side of reality while still lining up plenty of laughs. Anyway, it's like "The Commitments" for grown-ups. This tale of a band back on the road is so realistic you'll swear you own the albums. Perfect for anyone who's been touched by the hand of pop. A foot-stompin', rip-rockin' good night out.

This movie was shown in LA, as part of the Hola Mexico Film Festival, and everybody in the audience loved it. It is a perfectly fun, infectious and witty rock comedy with a satirical edge and a serious undertone. It's about how ageism is rife in the music industry and starts with an engaging and believable premise that throws in several twists, along with issues of responsibility, paternity, authenticity and loyalty. There are a couple of moments that are genuinely moving, plus enough laughs to keep audiences of any age happy.

If there is one niggling detail that lets "Eddie Reynolds" down, it is ironically the soundtrack itself. The anthem "Beer at the Party" gets played too many times, when there was a lot of potential to create a much more varied soundtrack, as evidenced in one of the key scenes later in the film. There are other songs in the film, but "Beer at the Party" does get played a lot, although you will definitely wake up with it in your ears the next morning. That detail aside, the characters and dialogues are fun, and the story genuinely has you caring about this over-the-hill rock band and rooting for a positive outcome.

This is a good example of a film trying to capture some of the energy and excitement of Rock and Roll whilst not forgetting that it is a film and needs to have good story, plot and characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that it gets a more widely distribution.

Although is not the most original idea, this is an amusing and surprisingly emotional tale of a fictional 80s rock band which reunite 30 years after they split. It is on the money more often than not delivering plenty of humor, drama and a great ending. The comedy is obvious as we have old rockers reuniting with some suffering from middle age spread whilst others are not all with it after a chaotic lifestyle. It is entertaining if obvious as we watch this bunch of middle age men try to recapture what they once had with. But then whilst the comedy is present throughout the movie the tone shifts and evolves more into a funny dramedy about some interesting issues, most notably those between singer Eddie and guitarist Santos, played with real 'macho' charisma by Damian Alcazar and Arturo Rios.

Without a doubt, Alcazar is one of the greatest Mexican actors and his performance here is exceptional, but to be honest the collective performances of Arturo Rios, Jorge Zarate and Alvaro Guerrero are simply brilliant and they are more than convincing as old rockers reuniting after 30 years.

What this all boils down to is that 'Eddie Reynolds' is one singular rock movie, especially when it comes to comedies about fictional rock bands. It is not the greatest movie ever made, in fact there are times it seems to struggle, but more often than not it gets it right and delivers a brilliant mix of humor, drama and an unforgettable ending.

Great acting, great music and some serious funny jokes collide in "Eddie Reynolds", a movie that kept whole audiences laughing out loud during it's presentation in the last Morelia International Film Festival.

The film has also a lot of heart thanks to an intelligent and ultimately moving script which deals with themes like friendship, second opportunities and love. Damian Alcazar is "The Man" as always, without a doubt one of the finest actors not only in Mexico, but in the whole world, and he is surrounded by a very strong cast. He is impressive as the title character: a wedding singer who had a one hit one wonder as a rock star back in the eighties and is now reuniting his old band. Specially intriguing is his relationship with his very young lover (the extremely beautiful Paulina Gaitan), which plays like a modern and irreverent version of Woody Allen's "Manhattan".

Another great presence is newcomer Vico Escorcia, a very talented young actress who almost steals the show as the 16 year old manager of the rock band, providing wit and gusto to some of the best lines of the movie.

"Eddie Reynolds" contains a lot of references to the rock paraphernalia, but behind all the jokes and the music, rests a wonderful comedy with complex and very human characters in search of redemption. Don't miss it!