For those who are looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy with a wonderful cast, definitely give “How to Be a Latin Lover” a try! Recommended!
TITLE: How to Be a Latin Lover
FILM RELEASE: 2017
DURATION: 115 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 2:40:1 aspect ratio, English and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Subtitles: Spanish, English SDH
COMPANY: Lions Gate
RATED: PG-13
RELEASE DATE: August 15, 2017
Directed by Ken Marino
Written by Chris Spain, Jon Zack
Produced by Eugenio Derbez, Ben Odell
Executive Producer: Mike Upton
Associate Producer: Erica Oyama
Cinematography by John Bailey
Edited by John Daigle
Casting by Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood, Lisa Zagoria
Production Design by Marcia Hinds
Art Direction by Alex Gaines, Thomas P. Wilkins
Set Decoration by Cindy Coburn
Costume Design by Molly Grundman
Starring:
Eugenio Derbez as Maximo
Salma Hayek as Sara
Raphael Alejandro as Hugo
Rob Lowe as Rick
Kristen Bell as Cindy
Mckenna Grace as Arden
Raquel Welch as Celeste
Linda Lavin as Millicent
Renee Taylor as Peggy
Rob Corddry as Quincy
Rob Riggle as Scott
Rob Huebel as Nick
Michael Cera as Remy
Mather Zickel as James
Eugenio Derbez (INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED) and Salma Hayek head an all-star cast in this hilarious comedy about an aging ladies’ man who learns that love and trust must be earned.
Actor Ken Marino is known for his acting roles and for his writing work for films such as “Wanderlust” and TV shows such as “Childrens Hospital”, “Wainy Days” and “The State”. And now, Marino directs the comedy film “How to Be a Latin Lover” which is co-written by Chris Spain and Jon Zack.
The film stars Eugenio Derbez (“La familia P. Luche, “La jugada”), Salma Hayek (“Frida”, “Desperado”, “Once Upon a time in Mexico”), Raphael Alejandro (“Once Upon a Time”, “Almost Human”), Rob Lowe (“The West Wing”, “Wayne’s World”, “Parks and Recreation”), Kristen Bell (“Frozen”, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “Veronica Mars”), Raquel Welch (“The Three Musketeers”, “Fantastic Voyage”, “Legally Blonde”), Linda Lavin (“The Intern”, “Wanderlust”, “The Back-Up”), Renee Taylor (“Alfie”, “The Nanny”, “The Producers”), Rob Corddry (“Hot Tub Time Machine”, “What Happens in Vegas”, “Warm Bodies”), Rob Riggle (“Hangover”, “21 Jump Street”, “The Daily Show”), Rob Huebel (“The Descendants”, “I Love You Man”) and Michael Cera (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”, “Juno”, “Superbad”).
The film which was created for $10 million would go on to make over $60 million in the box office.
The film revolves around a man named Maximo (portrayed by Eugenio Derbez) who seduced an older woman when he was a younger in hopes he could live the good life.
He ended up marrying Peggy (portrayed by Renee Taylor) for 25-years, using her to get the things he wants and having her spoil him. And his fellow gigolo friend, Ric (portrayed by Rob Lowe) does the same with his wife, Millicent (portrayed by Linda Lavin).
But Betty is now much older, more than twice his age and now she’s 80-years-old, can hardly move and now they are celebrating their anniversary.
Forgetting about their anniversary, Maximo pretends that he was going to buy her a new sports car (with her money) and they meet a smooth talking car salesman Remy (portrayed by Michael Cera).
After going out for a game of golf, he comes home early and finds out that Peggy is having an affair with Remy and she ends their marriage. And because they married with a prenup, he is left with nothing.
Jobless and having no home, Maximo moves in to his estranged sister’s (portrayed by Salma Hayek) home, along with her 10-year-old son Hugo (portrayed by Raphael Alejandro).
When he takes Hugo to school, he finds out that he as a crush on a girl named Arden (portrayed by Mckenna Grace) and Mckenna has a wealthy single grandmother named Celeste (portrayed by Raquel Welch) and when his buddy Ric tells him how wealthy she is, immediately Maximo tries to find a way to get close to Celeste, which is not easy considering he has an overprotective chauffeur, Quincy (portrayed by Rob Corddry).
Meanwhile, Maximo wants to transform his sister’s young son from a nerdy science fan to a Latin Lover. And also try to work odd jobs in order to pay off debt.
VIDEO:
“How to Be a Latin Lover” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1 aspect ratio). Outdoor scenes are vibrant, picture quality showcase wonderful detail. I didn’t notice any major banding or artifact issues during my viewing of the film.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“How to Be a Latin Lover” is presented in English and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and features crystal clear dialogue. While surround channels capture environment ambiance, this film’s soundtrack is primarily dialogue and music-driven.
Subtitles are in English SDH and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“How to Be a Latin Lover” comes with the following special features:
- Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary by director Ken Marino, producer Ben Odell and editor John Daigle.
- Show Me Your Sexy! Learning How to Be a Latin Lover – (17:35) How “How to Be a Latin Lover” went from a TV comedy and became a film built around actor Eugenio Derbez and more.
- A Little Help from My Friends – (11:08) How Ken Marino got his celebrity friends involved in the film and interviews with the cast.
- Extended/Deleted Scenes – (33:39) Extended and deleted scenes form “How to Be a Latin Lover”.
EXTRAS:
“How to Be a Latin Lover” comes with the Blu-ray and an UltraViolet HD code.
Far often we see films about older women going after younger men and often in media, we see younger women going after older, wealthy men.
But what if the roles were reversed and you have a film that showcase a gigolo who goes after an older woman in order to have a lifestyle of luxury?
The answer is Ken Marino’s comedy “How to Be a Latin Lover” starring popular Latino actor Eugenio Derbez as the film’s protagonist, Maximo.
A comedy featuring an all-star cast which includes Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell, Michael Cera, Linda Lavin, Raquel Welch, Rob Cordry, Rob Riggle to name a few, “How to Be a Latin Lover” is a laugh loud comedy about a gigolo who got the life he wanted by marrying a wealthy, single, older woman for her money.
Fastforward 25-years later and Maximo is older, gained a few pounds, but still enjoying life, being pampered and spending money that is not his.
And as his 80-year-old wife wants to celebrate their wedding anniversary, having forgotten the anniversary, he takes her to a sportscar shop and pretending to buy it for her (when he wants it for himself), Maximo is unaware that the car salesman (also a gigolo) would end up having an affair with Maximo’s wife.
And now she wants to end the marriage and because they had a prenuptial agreement, he gets nothing. No money, he’s flat broke and all he has is his luggage and fancy clothing.
Where to go but his estranged younger sister Sara’s apartment, where she lives with her 10-year-old son Hugo. And because Maximo wasn’t there for her, especially after her husband’s death or even their mother’s death, she is very upset at him. But knowing that he is family, she allows him to live with him until he can fully support himself.
But for Maximo, not having the life of luxury proves to be difficult and now wants to find a suger momma and what best than to go after the wealthy Celeste (portrayed by Raquel Welch), who happens to be the grandmother of the girl that young Hugo likes.
So, Maximo feels if he can change Hugo from being a science nerd and being a gigolo like him and captivate the attention of the girl he likes, it will lead him straight to Celeste. Or will it?
The film also stars Rob Lowe, a fellow gigolo and Maximo’s friend who is courting a character portrayed by Linda Lavin; Kristen Bell as a cat-loving person who manages an ice cream shop; Rob Riggle and Rob Huebel as bullies who want Maximo to pay him the $1,000’s owned and more.
As for the film on Blu-ray, colors are vibrant (considering the film was shot outdoors a lot) and lossless audio features crystal clear dialogue and music. And there are numerous special features including two featurettes, audio commentary and extended and deleted scenes.
Overall, for those who are looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy with a wonderful cast, definitely give “How to Be a Latin Lover” a try! Recommended!
