Exoticalot
People are voting emotionally.
SunnyHello
Nice effects though.
Haven Kaycee
It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
Hellmant
'HOW TO BE A LATIN LOVER': Four Stars (Out of Five)A comedy about a veteran gold-digger who's dumped by his 80-year-old wife, after 25-years of pampered marriage, and then must learn to survive on his own for the first time. The film was directed by actor turned first time director Ken Marino, and it was scripted by Chris Spain and Jon Zack. The movie stars Eugenio Derbez, Raphael Alejandro, Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell, Raquel Welch, Rob Riggle, Rob Huebel, Rob Corddry, Renee Taylor and Michael Cera. It's received mostly negative reviews from critics, but it was a surprise big hit at the Box Office (thanks largely to Hispanic moviegoers). I found it to be pretty funny actually.Maximo (Derbez) decided at a very young age that he wanted to marry rich, and never have to work. So he married a wealthy woman (Taylor) more than twice his age, and spent the majority of his life pampered and spoiled. Then one day, when his wife is 80, she cheats on him with a younger car salesman (Cera), and kicks him out of the house. Maximo must then learn to survive on his own, for the fist time in his life, and he turns to his sister (Hayek), and her son (Alejandro), for help. At the same time he targets another older rich woman (Welch), to try and seduce. I honestly was not expecting to find this movie very humorous, or amusing much at all, but it's actually pretty funny. The premise is definitely a little disturbing to me though. Just the idea of making a whole movie about this disgusting self absorbed male gold digger does not sound appealing to me at all. That's why I actually put off seeing it for several months, but It's pretty funny honestly. It's not touching, like it sometimes wants to be, but it is clever and witty. Thanks in large part to the awesome actors. Everyone is perfectly cast, and hilarious in it. I'd definitely recommend seeing it, if you want a few good laughs.
adonis98-743-186503
Finding himself dumped after 25 years of marriage, a man who made a career of seducing rich older women must move in with his estranged sister, where he begins to learn the value of family. How to Be a Latin Lover is one of those films that you expect to be bad but there was also a part of me that hoped that for something at least entertaining and i was surprised to see a guy seducing women over the age of 60 and 65 plus it's really not that funny and you get moments like his wife trying to walk back the stair and she is like super slow or him painting his hair all black and trying to basically "play" the gigolo once again but it's neither funny or anything it's actually quite boring. (0/10)
TxMike
My wife and I watched this on DVD from our public library. It has a rather low IMDb rating and I wasn't expecting much but it surprised me, it is very well made and very entertaining. A few of the sight gags fell flat for me but I'd say 75% of it worked.The opening scene sets the tone when we see the Mexican dad of little Maximo and Sara die in an accident. I won't spoil the details but I will describe it after "SPOILERS" at the end of my comments. Anyway seeing how his hard-working dad died just like that little 11-yr-old Maximo decides he wants a different life, he intends to find a wealthy older woman to marry so that he can live a life of luxury.The story cuts to 10 years later in California and an attractive, athletic Maximo in a skimpy swim suit finds his target at a resort. (In an interesting casting choice the actor is the 21-yr-old son of the actor who plays Maximo at age 46.)So cut to 25 years later and Maximo is a somewhat out-of-shape 46 (actor is 50-something) and with his elderly wife of 25 years he leads a life of luxury, has lots of expensive cars, has servants do everything for him. Until his wife finds a younger man and the prenup means Maximo is out on the street with nothing.So most of the story starts here, Maximo needs a place to stay while he hunts for his next wealthy wife, he looks up his sister Sara after all those years, meets his nephew Hugo. His life now really does become a comedy of errors and missteps. The movie works for several reasons. The first is director Ken Marino who keeps it all in a somewhat sympathetic manner, the bad people here aren't really that bad. Second the acting and comic timing of Eugenio Derbez who plays the 46-yr-old Maximo. And third the large number of friends of Marino who agreed to take roles in this movie. The main one is Salma Hayek who is really great as his adult sister Sara. And young Raphael Alejandro as Hugo who is mentored by uncle Maximo on how to be suave and get the girls.A very entertaining comedy for those in the mood for this type of entertainment.SPOILERS: In the opening scene it is made clear that Maximo's dad always said "You get what you work for, not what you wish for." He drove a truck and was gone often but this day Maximo and Sara, along with their mom, are waiting outside for dad as he drove his truck towards their home. But he was falling asleep, he crashed into the house as the family members scrambled to safety and went all the way through it. After a very short sigh of relief the fuel truck exploded with dad still inside. That set the tone for the rest of the movie, a bit dark, but comedic, on the slightly absurd side.
lavatch
In the bonus segment of the DVD of "How to Be a Latin Lover," the producers describe how the project was originally intended as a television sit com called "Trophy Wife." While the movie still has the feel of a television program, it was nonetheless adapted effectively into a lively though uneven film comedy.The strength of the film was in the sight gags as we follow the travails of the likable loser Maximo, a gigolo on the loose in Los Angeles. Eugenio Derbez is good as the loser, who takes advantage of his sister for a home base for him to pursue his exploits as a gold digger.The secondary characters in the film are well developed, especially the manager of a yogurt store played by Kristen Bell. Her bonding with Maximo provides one of the best subplots of the film. Salma Hayak is good as the sister, and Raquel Welch is a standout as the dowager pursued by Maximo.While the dialogue was often erratic and uninspired, the visual appearance of the film was filled with extremely colorful location filming in Los Angeles. In the extra section of the DVD, director Ken Merino indicated that the production team took advantage of a rare tax break for an extended film shoot in L.A. The Echo Park location and a wonderful mansion were two of the most memorable scenic backdrops. The pink dollhouse was a creative and well-executed visual metaphor for the fantasy life pursued by Maximo.In the bonus commentary, actor Eugenio Derbez described one of his favorite scenes where he plunged into a swimming pool covered in make-up, as he tries to impress his sugar mommy. It turns out that the make-up dissolves in the pool, leading to Maximo's banishment from the premises. There was also the motif of the "sexy walk" in which Maximo attempts to demonstrate some swagger to his young nephew; a number of Echo Park bystanders join in for the fun. In another memorable scene, Maximo and his sister sing and dance the salsa.At those moments when the writers ran out of ideas, the energy level dissipated with the lackluster dialogue. The bonus segment includes a set of deleted scenes, many of which would have infused life into the film at key junctures. There were some very talented film artists involved in this film. Kudos especially to the costume designer and cinematographer.
