A send up of Mexican westerns of the ‘70s and telenovela-type soaps, Casa de mi Padre is the type of film that often builds up a loyal cult following long after its theatrical run. Guided by director Matt Piedmont and writer Andrew Steele—both friends of Will Ferrell’s from his days on Saturday Night Live—the overacting and histrionics on display here, are truly hilarious.
Despite his best efforts, good-hearted rancher Armando Alvarez (Ferrell) is seen as worthless by his father, Miguel (Pedro Armendariz Jr.). Instead, Miguel dotes on Armando’s bright, good looking successful brother Raul (Diego Luna), who apparently can do no wrong. While Armando has stayed on the ranch, Raul left to seek his fortune elsewhere. In the wake of a local drug dealer, Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal), committing murder on Alvarez land, Raul arrives with his striking girlfriend, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez), in tow. A rich and powerful man, Raul is determined to stop to stop Onza from using his family’s land for his dirty work. In the midst of all this, Armando and Sonia find themselves attracted to each other.
The fun of Casa de mi Padre is the fact that none of it is to be taken seriously. Everything has a satirical look and tone. Characters riding in cars pass by scenery via obvious rear screen projection. “Outdoor” locales look laughably cheap. In one shootout, a character is able to unload seemingly endless rounds of bullets without once reloading. Much humor comes from the now discouraged act of onscreen smoking. Armando is completely unable to properly roll his own cigarettes Western-hero style, causing the tobacco to fall out before he can take a single drag. In one scene, Onza demonstrates how to smoke two cigarillos at once.
What keeps Casa de mi Padre interesting is not the obvious storyline, but the unexpected surprises strewn throughout the narrative. Given their experience on Saturday Night Live, director Matt Piedmont and screenwriter Andrew Steele are experience in satire, and their abilities are given the chance to flourish here. They both understand that in a genre like this, often, less is more.
Wll Ferrell wonderfully; as a kind of over-the-top, clueless, yet dedicated western hero wanna-be. Occasional collaborators Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna understand what the filmmakers want from them and deliver. Miami-born telenovela star turned U.S. starlet Génesis Rodríguez shows the proper mix of seriousness and ineptitude as the romantically conflicted heroine. The role of Miguel was the last role of the legendary Pedro Armendariz Jr., who died in 2011.
Presented in the film’s 2.35:1 Panavision aspect ratio, Lionsgate’s 1080p transfer tries to replicate the hot temperatures of Mexico. The color palette tends toward several shades of brown, and saturation levels are quite good. Flesh tones do look a bit on the brown side, but given the material, it actually adds something to the film.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix is concentrated in the front speakers. The rears are essentially used for the score. Ambient sounds don’t play much of a role here, popping up on rare occasions.
English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles are available.
The following special features are included:
- Audio Commentary by Director Matt Piedmont, Writer Andrew Steele and Star of the Film Will Ferrell: fairly self-congratulatory, you won’t find much in the way of real information here. Nonetheless, this group is chatty and funny, If you’re looking for a laugh on a rainy day, you might want to give this one a listen.
- The Making of Casa de Mi Padre (HD; 15:43) If you’ve ever wanted to know how a shot of Will Ferrell picking up a stray calf was filmed, here it is. Really, this is just your standard cast and crew interviews.
- Deleted Scenes (HD; 19:43) A collection of ten scenes removed from the final cut.
- Fight For Love Music Video (HD; 3:20) An original song performed by Will Ferrell and Genesis Rodriguez.
- Comerciales (HD; 3:00) Faux commercials for cigarettes and beer done in vintage style.
- Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. Final Interview (HD; 3:37). Armendáriz, who portrays Ferrell’s father in the film, died on December 26, 2011.
