How to Be a Latin Lover

Truly silly, but fully enjoyable, "How to Be a Latin Lover" hits all the right notes. Eugenio Derbez plays a Mexican who marries a rich woman from Beverly Hills, only to get dumped years later with no money and no idea how to work. Moving in with his hard-working sister (Salma Hayek), he quickly learns that there's something to be said for pulling one's weight...which in this guy's case means some truly awkward things! The movie also takes the time to poke fun at lazy rich people who spend their money on extravagant things (such as a birthday party featuring a certain satirical singer). But mostly, it's just an excuse to have fun. I suspect that they had a lot of fun filming it. The rest of the cast includes Kristen Bell, Raquel Welch, and former "Daily Show" correspondents Rob Corddry and Rob Riggle.

I stumbled upon "How to Be a Latin Lover" on Netflix while perusing their comedy section. I hadn't heard about the movie before, nor had I any idea who was in it. But still, the movie caught my attention and I gave it a go.

Turned out that "How to Be a Latin Lover" was actually quite entertaining and funny to watch. Sure, you'll not be laughing throughout the entire course of the movie, but there are some good wholehearted and hardy laughs to be had and the storyline in the movie was really surprisingly good.

And it definitely helped that the movie had such a strong and talented ensemble of actors and actresses. This was my first time to get acquainted with Eugenio Derbez, but I will say that he really carried the movie phenomenally. And he had some great help from the likes of Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe and Kristen Bell. Actually, the entire movie was crammed with familiar faces and famous performers, which was surprisingly nice to see for a movie such as this. I will also say that Salma Hayek really brought a lot of charm to the movie with her talent and on-screen presence.

"How to Be a Latin Lover", while it is not a classic in the comedy genre, definitely proved to be entertaining and fun to watch. I was genuinely entertained by the movie and had some good laughs along the way. Hardly a movie I will watch a second time though, because the movie didn't have all that much to offer once you've seen it the first time.

Definitely worth watching if you enjoy a good, wholeheartedly comedy with a heartfelt story as well.

A nice bilingual comedy introducing Eugenio Derbez to American audiences starring alongside Selma Hayek and Rahpael Alejandro. Maximo is a gigolo that after twenty five years of marriage finds himself dumped for a younger man. Maximo must move in with his sister and nephew. Along the way he learns important lessons of friendship and family. Bonus points for Rob Lowe as a fellow gigolo and the scene in which he "plays" a cop complete with tear-a-way uniform. Another bit of trivia in the beginning of the film there is a younger Maximo that dives into the pool, that is Eugenio Derbez's twenty five year old son! Enjoyable rental - just be sure to watch with the captions unless you are fluent in Spanish.

Most comedies that have been released this year were pretty much horrendous and treat viewers like they have an IQ of -50. With that being said, How to Be a Latin Lover is a true breath of fresh air, it's been a while since a movie made me feel this good and it definitely deserves a higher rating that 5.8.

The storyline is simple, main characters charming, writing witty, the acting is top-notch especially from Eugenio Derbez, the jokes are not forced which is a rarity nowadays and there are many laugh out loud moments that are nicely spread throughout the movie so it never loses momentum and becomes dull despite being almost 2 hours long.

If you are looking for a quality charming feel-good movie don't miss this one and ignore all the bad reviews, fun is guaranteed.

Eugenio Derbez. Recognize the name? If not, you're probably not a big fan of Latin cinema. But even if you watch only English-language movies and avoid subtitles like the plague, you're likely to hear more about Derbez. He's a Mexican actor, comedian and writer, as well as a director and producer of TV and movies. According to Wikipedia, Derbez "is one of the most influential creative forces in Latin America, and is one of the most recognized actors among the Spanish-speaking population in the US." His 2013 comedy-drama "Instructions Not Included", which he starred in, co-wrote and directed, became the first Spanish-language film to top $100 million in worldwide box office. In 2014, Variety magazine called Derbez "the most influential Hispanic male in the entertainment industry." 2017 marks his first starring role in a (mostly) English-language feature film, the comedy "How to Be a Latin Lover" (PG-13, 1:55).

Maximo (Derbez) is living the dream. He's well-ensconced in the lap of luxury and he's a kept man – thanks to his very rich and much older wife (Renée Taylor). This was his plan all along – to use his Latin charms to get a sugar mama and never have to work a day in his life. Maximo was doing great, living in a mansion, driving expensive cars, etc., until his benefactor decides to give him his walking papers, which, in this case, is a copy of the prenup that he signed years earlier. With no money and nowhere to live, he wants to move in with his fellow gigolo, Rick (Rob Lowe), but that wouldn't go over very well with Rick's rich (and kinky) aged lover, Millicent (Linda Lavin). This lands Maximo on the doorstep of his estranged sister, Sara (Salma Hayek), single mother to nerdy, sweet, 10-year-old Hugo (Raphael Alejandro). None of the three of them are particularly happy about this turn of events, but, hey, family is family, right? Maximo fully intends for his humiliating slumming with Sara and Hugo to be a temporary arrangement. He's on the prowl, looking for his next mark. He thinks he finds her in an extremely wealthy widow named Celeste (Raquel Welch), but she seems impossible to get to, especially with her chauffeur (Rob Corddry) doubling as her omnipresent gatekeeper. While Maximo works out a plan, he gets money by conning a couple of bone-headed local businessmen (Rob Riggle and Ron Huebel) and working for the manager (Kristen Bell) at a frozen yogurt shop. Maximo thinks he sees his way into Celeste's life when he learns that Hugo has a crush on his classmate, Arden (Mckenna Grace), who happens to be Celeste's granddaughter. But getting his foot in the wealthy grandmother's expensive doors will require Maximo to teach his nephew how to be a miniature Latin lover and win Arden's affections, while distracting Sara by pushing her into the arms of a neighbor (Ilan Arditti) with whom Sara shares a mutual attraction.

"How to Be a Latin Lover" is predictable, but pleasant, sweet and funny. Although formulaic, its basic premise is fairly original and enjoyable. Derbez is equal parts charismatic and entertaining, while the rest of the talented cast is game for whatever the writers and director send their way. Besides Derbez, this movie also marks a coming-out party of sorts for screenwriters Jon Zack (with only a couple previous feature films to his credit) and Chris Spain (this being his first IMDb writing credit), as well as director Ken Marino. Marino, after acting in over 100 movies and TV shows, doing some writing for each medium and directing for eight different TV series, makes this his feature directorial debut.

These filmmakers bring us comedy that's a mixture of slapstick, juvenile humor and just good, old-fashioned strange situations and strained family relationships. And all that comes with at least some family values and growth on the part of the main characters. It's somewhat simplistic, but almost always fun. And, yes, there are occasional subtitles (during some of the scenes in which Maximo interacts with another Spanish-speaking character), but this movie is funny and heartfelt enough to entertain all but the most jaded Movie Fans – and strong enough to earn Derbez many more English-speaking fans. "B+"