No se aceptan devoluciones (Instructions Not Included) [Enero 21 USA]

[Lost hero]

Review



Movie 2.5
Video 4.0
Audio 4.0
Extras 1.5
Overall 3.0

That old adage that kids don't come with instructions manual is put to the test in the hokey but fitfully charming Spanish film Instructions Not Included, which according to the breathless press release accompanying this Blu-ray is evidently the most successful Spanish language film ever released in the United States. Co-written, directed and starring Mexican television favorite Eugenio Derbez (La Familia P. Luche), Instructions Not Included is breezy and often gently amusing, if only occasionally laugh out loud hilarious. Derbez's persona may remind some of another ebullient foreigner who co-wrote, directed and starred in a film which became a significant hit stateside, Roberto Benigni (Life Is Beautiful ). Both Derbez and Benigni have an innate charm and kind of loosey-goosey physical demeanor that makes them seem like grown up kids, and both of them interact beautifully with the actual kids who are part of their respective films.

There's a certain amateurish quality to some of Instructions Not Included, with a kind of undisciplined approach to the direction that leaves scenes hanging on too long and performances ranging all over the place from Three Stooges to Clifford Odets kitchen sink drama. The entire film often feels like a cobbled together mishmash that is desperately in need of some kind of firm guiding hand. Hidden within the chaos are a few endearing moments, but Instructions Not Included evidently lives up to its title in more ways than one.

Instructions Not Included is decidedly a mixed bag, and your personal reaction is probably going to depend on how tolerant you are of sudden changes in tone as well as how much you can stand some pretty incessant mugging on the part of some of the performers. There's a sweetness to a lot of the interactions between Debrez and little Peralto, but I personally found the two left turns this film takes in its third act actually annoying.
The film obviously pleased a lot of people based on its box office (which frankly isn't at true blockbuster levels), and those folks should certainly be pleased by the solid technical merits of this release. With the caveats expressed in this review duly noted, and for those who don't mind a somewhat uneasy mix of slapstick and melodrama, Instructions Not Included comes Recommended.