Bad Day to Go Fishing (2009) Mal día para pescar (original title)

Director:

Álvaro Brechner

Writers:

Juan Carlos Onetti (short story)
Gary Piquer
(more)

Release Date:

31 July 2009 (Uruguay)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Western

Plot:

Jacob van Oppen, the former strongest man on earth, and his manager Orsini, who calls himself "the Prince"...

Plot Keywords:

Wrestling | Manager | Newspaper

Awards:

20 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Gary Piquer	...	Orsini
Jouko Ahola	...	Jacob van Oppen
Antonella Costa	...	Adriana
César Troncoso	...	Heber
Bruno Aldecosea	...	Grey
Alfonso Tort	...	Ronco
Jorge Temponi	...	Jorge
Jenny Goldstein	...	Jessica
Ignacio Cawen	...	Fernandez
Luis Lage	...	Rius
Enrique Vidal	...	Locutor
Lucía Fernández	...	Boletera

Directed by
Álvaro Brechner

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Álvaro Brechner
Juan Carlos Onetti		short story
Gary Piquer

Produced by
Juan Manuel Arreseigor	....	assistant executive producer
Adolfo Blanco	....	executive producer
Adolfo Blanco	....	producer
Álvaro Brechner	....	producer
Tomás Cimadevilla	....	producer
Beatriz Delgado	....	associate producer
Virginia Hinze	....	producer
Gary Piquer	....	producer
Diego Robino	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Mikel Salas

Cinematography by
Álvaro Gutiérrez

Film Editing by
Teresa Font

Art Direction by
Gustavo Ramírez

Costume Design by
Alejandra Rosasco

Makeup Department
Estela Vallegra	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Noelia Burlé	....	assistant unit manager
Mauro Fernandez	....	assistant unit manager
Laura Gutman	....	unit production manager
Victoria Machó	....	assistant unit manager
Pablo Ramírez	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sol Canil	....	trainee assistant director
Sergio De León	....	first assistant director
Matias Estévez	....	third assistant director
Diego Ferrando Mazzotti	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Rafael Allende	....	props
Alonso Banales	....	construction coordinator
Daniela Calcagno	....	art assistant
Carolina de La Vega	....	second assistant
Ignacio Gambin	....	third assistant props
Mariana Pereyra	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Pedro Barbadillo	....	assistant sound editor
Álex F. Capilla	....	foley artist
Fabián Oliver	....	sound recordist
Alvaro Rivero	....	boom operator
Nacho Royo-Villanova	....	foley mixer
Nacho Royo-Villanova	....	sound editor
Nacho Royo-Villanova	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ricardo Viñas	....	dolby sound consultant

Visual Effects by
Ramón Cervera	....	digital compositor: nuke
Ramón Daza	....	digital compositor: nuke
Daniel de Madrid	....	digital compositor: nuke
Blas Galera	....	digital conform editor
Isidro Jiménez	....	digital effects supervisor
Juan Manuel Nogales	....	main title design
Telson S.L.	....	digital post production & effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Quique Alvarez	....	gaffer
Pablo Berti	....	first assistant camera
Denny Brechner	....	video assistant
Carlos Catalán	....	camera operator
Carlos Catalán	....	cinematographer: second unit
Erika Levy	....	second assistant camera
Paul Luzardo	....	electrician
Sebastian Monetti	....	electrician
Alejandro Noya	....	grip
Diego Zalduondo	....	second assistant camera: second unit

Casting Department
Ricardo Padula	....	casting: Miami

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Adriana Levin	....	wardrobe assistant
Valentina Rodriguez Amado	....	wardrobe assistant
Johana Silveira	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
María Platas Alonso	....	post-production coordinator
Isabel Cano	....	post-production coordinator
Enrique Jiménez	....	colorist
Nuria López	....	post-production coordinator
María José Martín	....	post-production director
Renato Sanjuán	....	assistant editor
Silvia Torralba	....	post-production coordinator

Other crew
Fabiana Lujambio	....	continuity
Anouk Ogueta	....	project documentarian
Claire Viroulaud	....	press attache

Production Companies

• Baobab Films
• Expresso Films
• Telespan 2000

Distributors

• Film Movement (2011) (USA) (all media)
• Héliotrope Films (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Vertice Cine (2009) (Spain) (theatrical)
• PCV (2009) (Greece) (all media)

Special Effects

• Telson (post-production facilities)

Other Companies

• Global Film Initiative  funding
• La Bocina  sound post-production

Also Known As:

"Mal día para pescar" - Uruguay (original title)

Runtime:

110 min | France:100 min | Argentina:100 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Uruguay | Spain

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG

Company:

Baobab Films

Trivia:

Uruguay's official submission to 82nd Academy Award's Foreign Language in 2010.

Quotes:

Jacob van Oppen:We're both drunks, but only one of us will be drinking tonight.

Soundtrack:

Lili Marleen

Excellent Film

First off, I take issue with the description of the film, where it states- "Jacob van Oppen, the former strongest man on earth, and his manager Orsini, who calls himself "the Prince", make a good living by traveling around small South American towns and organizing wrestling exhibitions." Wrong. They do not make a good living. They are living a precarious existence. Jacob, a shadow of his former self and Orsini, a con-man who does not even have the 'mil dolares' to back up and finance his bets. They are leading a terrible life, are both alcoholics, and both know it. Orsini is a self-described Italian Prince, but no one dare ask what he is doing, taking seedy bus trips, promoting a washed-up wrestler, all over South and Central America.

In any case, it's an excellent film. Jacob has become brain damaged from his years of wrestling and self abuse, he has reverted back to the mental state of a child. Not only that, he is bi-polar or has other mental issues which he takes medication for. As if that were not sad enough, Jacob also has some serious health issues. Although it has many comedic moments, it is nonetheless a sad film. It takes place in a fictional, back-water, town in Uruguay, in 1962. The acting and cinematography are all top notch. Jacob is somewhat devastated when he finds out the Orsini has been "fixing matches for him" and hand-picking opponents that insure Jacob wins the matches every time. The ending is brilliant and everything leads up to the final match at the end, where due to events in the town of Santa maria, Jacob must face a very tough opponent.