A Day Without a Mexican (1 Viewer)

[Nicholas Vargo]

I thought people should know that in L.A. and San Diego today, the movie "A Day Without a Mexican" opened. I just came back from a showing of it in a nearly packed house and I have to say that it is probably the funniest film I've seen so far this year. It reminded me of the Christopher Guest mockumentaries such as "Best In Show" and "A Mighty Wind", but most of the jokes come out of nowhere, and there's even a couple of scenes that are quite touching as well, but unlike "A Mighty Wind", it doesn't overdo that. Every time it tries, the film becomes funny again.

The great thing is that all of the jokes hit the mark, and there are a lot of them, and the most famous actor in the movie (John Getz of "Men at Work") gets some of the best lines as the state senator-turned-appointed governor ("We're going after the whole anchilata.").

The factoids that appear throughout the film are also a nice touch, especially since some of them are intended to be funny in the context of the movie, but they are all interesting noetheless.

Some of the jokes are simply classic, including the lawyer who has to steal illegal tomatoes for money, a cop playing solitaire with a deck of cards that have the faces of famous Hispanic actors, and the final classic scene featuring two Border Patrol officers making an amazing discovery.

It's a real crowd pleaser. The whole audience, including myself, loved the movie so much that we gave it a round of applause at the end. Be sure to stay for the end credits as well.

I give "A Day Without a Mexican" ****1/2 out of *****

 

[SteveGon]

Nicholas, thanks for the heads-up. This sounds like a must-see for me.

 

[Jack Briggs]

It received a generally positive review in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. Interesting concept. Why am I reminded of White Man's Burden?

Nicholas, though the film is seeking to make a (valid and necessary) point, does it avoid a didactic tone?

 

[Nicholas Vargo]

To be honest, I don't know what "didatic" means. This is the first time I've ever seen the word, let alone heard it. What does that word mean?

EDIT: I found out what it means and in the context of this film, it's not told in that kind of tone. The facts just show up to let us in on the facts that we need to know. If the film was told in a didactic tone, I don't think it would be as funny as it was, but thanks for asking.