Instructions Not Included (2013)

A man who has made a new life for himself and the daughter left on his doorstep 6 years ago finds his family threatened when the birth mother resurfaces.

Director:

Eugenio Derbez

Writers:

Guillermo Ríos, Leticia López Margalli

Stars:

Eugenio Derbez, Karla Souza, Jessica Lindsey

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrés Vázquez	...	Valentín niño
Hugo Stiglitz	...	Johnny Bravo
Eugenio Derbez	...	Valentín
Leia Freitas	...	Amante Brasileña
Ángela Moreno	...	Amante Dominicana
Gilda Gentile	...	Amante Argentina
Nancy Taira	...	Amante Oriental
Jessica Lindsey	...	Julie
Sammy Pérez	...	Sammy
Arcelia Ramírez	...	Judeisy
Agustín Bernal	...	Lupe
Gregg Lucas	...	Agente migración
Roger Cudney	...	Abogado Julie
Migael Penix	...	Portero hotel L.A.
Daniel Raymont	...	Frank Ryan

Storyline

Valentin is Acapulco's resident playboy womanizer, until a former fling, a young American named Julie, leaves a baby on his doorstep and takes off without a trace. Leaving Mexico for Los Angeles to find the baby's mother, Valentin ends up finding a new home for himself and his newfound daughter, Maggie. An unlikely father figure, Valentin raises Maggie for six years, while also establishing himself as one of Hollywood's top stuntmen to pay the bills, with Maggie acting as his on-set coach. As Valentin raises Maggie, she forces him to grow up too. But their unique and offbeat family is threatened when Maggie's birth mom, Julie, shows up out of the blue after six years after turning her own life around and wants full custody of Maggie, and Valentin realizes he's in danger of losing his daughter - and his best friend.

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Plot Keywords:

father daughter relationship | mexico | beach | acapulco | trucker | 

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Taglines:

Life doesn't care if you're ready.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, thematic elements and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The highest-grossing Spanish-language film released in the United States. [Jan 2014]

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Quotes

Judeisy: You must have something from that Julie woman. Didn't she leave you a souvenir?
Valentín: She did. But I got rid of it with penicillin.

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Connections

References Gravity (2013)

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Soundtracks

Flowers
Interpreted by: Christian Basso
Voice: Haien Qiu
Authors: Christian Basso / Haien Qiu
Editor: Warner Chappell Music
Courtesy: Christian Basso
Distributed by: Random Records
Extracted from the album: "La Música Cura!"

User Reviews

An unexpected visit changes two lives forever in Instructions Not Included

In a world of big budget blockbusters some of the best movies are the smaller independent films from all over the world. The latest Instructions Not Included is a Spanish/American film from writer, director, and star Eugenio Derbez. While he has made appearances in Jack and Jill with Adam Sandler and stole the TV show ROB with Rob Schneider he is already pretty huge in Mexico, this marks his first foray into directing but does he bring his usual comedy chops along with the ability to create a memorable film?

Instructions Not Included follows a resident playboy in Mexico whose life is thrown upside down when a former fling leaves a baby on his door step. He leaves Mexico for Los Angeles in hopes to find the baby's mother, but instead finds a new life as a successful stuntman and raises the girl for over six years. But when her mother returns it risks everything they have built together. This is one of those surprising films that really deliver way more than you may expect. Eugenio Derbez has crafted a great film mixed with plenty of humor blended perfectly with a heart-warming touching story. The film is partly in Spanish and partly in English, but blends both perfectly to create a film that works for not only both markets, but also for all audiences even if they don't like subtitled films. Derbez has everything needed to lead this film with his already established ability with comedy, but carries the emotional aspect needed to bring the rest of this story together effectively. When making a film like this that involves a child actor to be just as integral to the story as the adult lead their performance can make or break the film. Thankfully Loreto Peralta is amazing and is able to hold her own alongside Derbez like a pro, despite this being her first role. Beyond being adorable and having the child innocence, she is able to bring the needed maturity to the role.

This is one of those small films that comes along and will really surprise you. While it has great performances, it lets the story lead the charge and knocks it out of the park. This is a comedy, but be warned this funny man has crafted a film that will not only tickle your funny bone, but also tug at your heart strings.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

6 September 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Instructions Not Included

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,846,426, 1 September 2013

Gross USA:

$44,467,206

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$100,502,638

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alebrije Cine y Video, Fulano, Mengano y Asociados

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1