Review: "Casa de mi Padre" Shows Will Ferrell's Spanish Side

Will Ferrell has made a living out of spoofing everybody and everything. From NASCAR to news anchors to basketball to figure skating to buddy cop films, Ferrell has done it all...in English at least. In his newest film, Case de mi Padre, Ferrell takes his comedic talents south of the border for an all Spanish (except for Nick Offerman's character and a quick intro) spoofing of Mexican action/romance flicks.

Will Ferrell & Diego Luna in Casa de mi Padre

Ferrell plays Armando Alvarez, a rancher that has lived his entire life on his father's ranch. Armando is dim witted and slow and viewed by his father, played by the late Pedro Armendáriz Jr., as the lesser brother. As the ranch encounters troubles with drug dealers, Armando's brother, Raul (Diego Luna) comes back home with his new fiance, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez), to attempt and save the day. What quickly becomes apparent is that Raul isn't as good as their father thinks.

From there the Alvarez family engages in a brutal war with the ruthless drug dealer Onza, played by the always fantastic Gael Garcia Bernal.

Casa de mi Padre has everything one would expect from a Ferrell film these days: a musical number sung by Ferrell, nudity featuring Ferrell's bare butt, an awkward romance, and lots of laughs.

While Casa de mi Padre isn't as good as some of Ferrell's previous work such as Talledega Nights or Anchor Man, it's still a strong effort from the Gary Sanchez team. Like most films from this group, I do anticipate it will get much funnier with repeat viewings.
Anyone that has seen any low budget Spanish action films, will definitely appreciate the way Casa pokes fun at all the technical errors those films are often times full of. It basically does for Spanish action films what Black Dynamite did for blaxploitation movies.

The performances are the highlight. Kudos to Ferrell and the gang for going out and getting some of the top Mexican acting talent around. Luna and Bernal work so well together and have great comedic timing, Bernal in particular. Armendáriz steals the show as the father of the Alvarez brothers though. Every scene with him is hysterical. And of course, Ferrell himself delivers an impressive performance, given he's speaking a second languare quite fluently.

While Casa de mi Padre may not be for everyone, Ferrell fans will find a lot to enjoy in it. Despite the the language change, the film offers up many similarities we've all come to expect and love from a Will Ferrell vehicle.