When I was in Mexico on holiday this year Compadres was being advertised on television and in cinema very strongly. And I must admit it made me curious. Now I never had any high expectations but I had hope it would be at least funny and charming.
While some parts do have a certain charm most of the film is a train wreck right from the start. Almost everything is done so clumsily and amateurish that you begin to wonder why this film was made in the first place. Omar Chaparo for example lacks everything much needed for a lead. When I saw him in Superfast it briefly looked like there was more to him. But in this film where he is given the opportunity to shine he completely fails to bring to the table that is required. He is supposed to be this though and charming good guy but all I could do was cringe and laugh at his attempts of being bad to the bone. A very curious decision was to have him pair up with Joey Morgan from Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (A movie liked very much BTW). Who and what film is that? Exactly my point. While Joey Morgan definitely is one of the best things in this film he is not what you say a huge name. He has just started his career. If they wanted to appeal to a larger audience by having American actors in it would it not have been prudent to use someone a little more famous? Apart from Eric Roberts and Kevin Pollak who are nothing more than glorified cameo's and add nothing of significance. That makes me so sad because I respect both actors and I can't stand it to see them being a part of poor projects like these. Still you can tell that most actors were trying to make the best of it. Especially Héctor Jiménez (Nacho Libre), José Sefami and Mauricio Barrientos as Porky who was very funny the few times he appeared. So this leaves director Enrique Begne who has directed three films in total including this one. He clearly was out of his depth since from start to finish the film is a downright mess. It's obvious they were going for a buddy type of movie where two unlikely people get paired up and then become the best of friends. Personally I am a sucker for those films and can be very forgiving. But when it fails to make me laugh or deliver anything worth while like for example some good action scenes then you need to face my wrath. Ok maybe that is a little too harsh but I do believe it is criminal to not make good use of the talent you have. One of the tasks of a good director is to do this. If you don't have a good story or whatever is lacking then bank on the actors because they can make all the difference if given a chance.
So no ladies and gentlemen. I can't in good conscious recommend this to you since it is too lacking in too many fields to make it worth your time.
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