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Casi Casi

Score: 70%
Rating: PG
Publisher: HBO Home Entertainment
Region: 1
Media: DVD/1
Running Time: 93 Mins.
Genre: International/Comedy/Family
Audio: Dolby Digital - Spanish language

Features:

  • Directors' Commentary
  • "Making-Of" Featurette
  • Widescreen Presentation
  • English Subtitles

Casi Casi is something that American audiences will watch with two minds. On one front, you have to respect the attempt to bring a more American feeling to a foreign film. Too much of the time, foreign films come across as quirky and... well, foreign. We can respect the cultural differences, but we too often come away feeling like the people in other countries don't live like we do, don't have the same experiences or challenges in their lives. I saw a collection of African movies a few years ago that Queen Latifah was promoting. Instead of showing life in the wild or people running around in loincloth attire, the three movies were reflections of life in big African cities. It was interesting to see how much similarity there was between the hardships that people there face compared to folks here in the US. Casi Casi takes a similar approach to the now overdone American high school movie. If you thought foreign kids were all out on road trips, sleeping with sultry older women (Y tu mama tambien) or discovering huge loads of cash (Millions) or spending their dead boyfriend's money (Morvern Callar) you had it wrong. Apparently a fair amount of kids are doing the same silly things that their American counterparts do, especially in high school.

Casi Casi has been compared to Election or Mean Girls, but that really isn't a fair comparison. For one thing, both the US films come across as much more well produced and have actors with a greater degree of experience and sophistication than those in Casi Casi. This is a first movie for the directors and it shows. A raw, indie attempt at homage to films like Election is a better way to view Casi Casi. The actors and the camera work show good talent and make the film enjoyable to watch. Good selections for music, costumes and effects also showcase an impressive first-time feature.

The story of the film revolves around a hopeful suitor from the less popular crowd with designs on the most popular girl in school. By running for office as president of the student body, he hopes to woo his girl and unveil his clandestine romance to her under the bright light of success. Too late he realizes that the object of his desire has also decided to run for same office, putting him in the uncomfortable position of competing against the one he hoped to attract. The girl is oblivious to all this and goes full force into her campaign, putting the boy in an awkard position of running hard to not let down his friends, while trying equally hard to lose and make his girl feel good. In the end, his loyalty to his friends and his competitive spirit override his teenage lust, but the end result is still a happy one.

I mentioned earlier the idea of watching Casi Casi with two minds. All respect given, the movie is pretty raw. The hype around Casi Casi as being in the vein of popular American high school flicks does disservice to this Puerto Rican film's good indie "bones." It has immediate and lasting appeal as a strong, first effort from these directors. It does not convey a huge amount of creativity or original material - we can appreciate that Casi Casi breaks from what has traditionally come out of Puerto Rican filmhouses, but American filmgoers have been so inundated with high school movies for the last 20 years that our bar is impossibly high.



-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications
AKA Matt Paddock

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