CHASING PAPI

[FeverDog420]

http://www.joblo.com/upcomingmovies/2003/posters/images/posterchasingpapi.jpg

The plot: "A continental womanizer is engaged to three different women in three different states. But when he absent-mindedly arranges for them all to be in town on the same weekend, things don't heat up as much as they... explode."

Is Chasing Papi this spring's Greek Wedding? Fox is certainly hoping so; bus stops and subway platforms here are covered with ads for this movie, which is the debut of Linda Mendoza, who's been a TV director up until now.

Roselyn Sanchez gets top billing here. You might remember her from such films as Rush Hour 2, Boat Trip and Basic. Has she gotten herself a better agent? With Boat Trip and Basic still in theatres, can she put off the cinematic hat trick of multiplex ubiquity? Stay tuned.

Fans of Six Feet Under will be pleased to see Freddy Rodriguez here in a supporting role. His Rico is my favorite character on the HBO drama, and I'm happy that he's getting more visible on the scene. (And he's a little hottie, too; why couldn't he play "Papi"?)

And those who remember obscure actresses from the '80s will note in Chasing Papi the presence of Maria Conchita Alonzo, who's worked steadily for twenty years but has one of those faces that some may find hard to place. Cult fans will remember her as Nicolas Cage's beleaguered secretary in Vampire's Kiss, but most of her movie roles are of the sort that collect dust on the bottom of Blockbuster shelves: A Fine Mess, Touch and Go, Extreme Prejudice, Predator 2, The House of the Spirits, and, of course, McBain, starring Rainier Wolfcastle. Alonzo has most recently been spotted on TV in "Kingpin" and (yikes) "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" I don't know how big her part is in Chasing Papi, but I'm sure she's grateful for the work.

Chasing Papi opens April 16 in limited release.

[Ed]

I'm going to see this movie, but not really because it looks good, more because of cultural reasons(i'm puertorrican), although it looks atleast entertaining.

[dh1989]

Chasing Papi looks like another lame comedy! God, they make so many of them now, don't they?

[BorderEevilIII]

A story that maybe looks lame but featuring characters that are latin! Definate yes for me! I luv Roselyn Sanchez!!!! Hopefully better than Boat Trip!:(

[Grebdron]

Is it just me or does that second chick look just like Sandra Bullock? I just saw the ad on TV last night and thought it was Sandra.

I'll wait for video, but I loves my Latinas, so I'll check it out.

[RickySlade]

I have seen one add for this and it was like a 15 sec spot. It looks lame, another romantic comedy. I don't think it's gonna do well at the Box offfice either.

[BorderEevilIII]

Originally posted by Grebdron
Is it just me or does that second chick look just like Sandra Bullock?

Who? Roselyn Sanchez? If thats her ur referring to she was in Rush Hour 2...

[Grim H.]

I've seen one preview, but I'm not sure what to make of it. You gotta give it credit, at least it sounds original...

[RickySlade]

Questions i wanna know are...whose gonna pay for all these weddings, and what kind of dumbass has all of them in the same state?

[Strider]

I think I'll give "Chasing Papi" a look, but it's mostly because of my ethnic background, which is Hispanic. Honestly, the movie doesn't look that great, but it does have three hot chicks in it!!! :D

Oh Btw, just in case no one knows, Jaci Velasquez is a very popular latin singer.... if you're into the latin music, you probably have heard of her.

Strider

[movies35]

I like the poster and the premise. If it comes here I will see it, but if not I will see it on DVD.

[Freeway]

An interesting premise but the trailer is bland and the clip shown on Letterman was bad. I will probably not see this film.

[sharkstank]

no interest(cept for the hot chicks)

[vastlynne]

You schmoes are watching it soley because the actors in it are latinos? What a strange reason to watch a movie. :confused:

Does that mean I have to torture myself to watch Better Luck Tommorrow?

[electriclite]

I don't care if I'm Latin or not, a bad looking movie is a bad looking movie and I'm not giving this special preference just because it has Latin people in it.

By that method, I should be buying J-Lo records because I have to "support" my hispanic sisters, when the bottom line is I'm just supporting BAD MUSIC.

[movies35]

This is the 3rd movie this week to get a negitive review! From screenit.com

OUR TAKE: 3 out of 10
I've pretty much resigned myself to accepting the current state of the romantic comedy and its formulaic and predictable nature. After all, they're apparently easy to write, the target audience seems to love them and their repetition, and due to their mostly consistent box office bonanza returns, they're going to be around and following the same formula for some time to come.
With that in mind, I was somewhat (not a lot, just somewhat) eager to see "Chasing Papi." After all, it appeared to have four characters in the "relationship" rather than the normal two, seemed to be inserting some new blood into such films and looked to be putting something of a wacky spin on the genre.

I knew this wasn't going to be high art, but I had my hopes for at least a little bit of a change from the usual trappings. Unfortunately, that change was for the worst. Rather than the usual competent if mediocre workings, this one errs from the get-go, never recovers, and might have a hard time entertaining even its built-in, ever-ready audience.

To be fair, the film - from novice feature film director Linda Mendoza (various TV shows) and her quartet of screenwriters, Laura Angélica Simón (making her debut) & Steven Antin ("Gloria," "Inside Monkey Zetterland") and Alison Balian & Elizabeth Sarnoff (making their collective feature film debut) - isn't a romantic comedy in the usual sense of the term, although it has elements of both forms. With its animated opening and early scene segues, one can immediately tell it's supposed to be light, fluffy and not taken seriously.

There's certainly a time and place for such films, but only if everything about them is constructed and then handled just right. Alas, but not altogether surprisingly, that's not the case here. Right from the get-go, everything feels too frenetic and, worse yet, forced. That results in what might have been an enjoyable enough diversion instead coming off as annoying and hyperactive.

Beyond the low budget look and feel of the overall effort and everything being played far too broadly, the film's biggest sin is that it's essentially a thinly disguised, big screen version of a similar plot played various times on the old TV sitcom, "Three's Company" (although in this case, it's four).

How many times over the years did we see John Ritter's Jack Tripper trying to juggle all of the T&A - I mean various women - that he was simultaneously dating? In essence, that's the plot here, but viewed from the XX side of the fence.

Even that, however, isn't terribly successful and certainly isn't played to the hilt, as there aren't enough close calls, deceptions and guises to make this a classic farce. To make matters worse, the film's title is even misleading as it implies that the three ladies -- Roselyn Sanchez ("Boat Trip," "Rush Hour 2"), Sofia Vergara ("Big Trouble"), Jaci Velasquez (a singer making her debut) - are actively after the title's character (although it's somewhat correct from a romantic standpoint, even such a pursuit isn't full-bore here).

Instead, the lothario played by Eduardo Verastegui (making his feature debut) spends much of the film unconscious (from an unwise booze and tranquilizer pill combo), resulting in the filmmakers throwing in a lame crooks and stolen money subplot that constitutes the actual chasing.

That's obviously supposed to add additional comedy and/or obstacles to the women's goal, both neither D.L. Hughley ("The Brothers," "Inspector Gadget") and Freddy Rodriguez ("Payback," "The Pest") nor Lisa Vidal ("Night and the City," "Mighty Aphrodite") as the FBI agent after them can do anything with their poorly written parts.

For that matter, neither can the four leads. While they present a certain amount of eye candy for both sexes, the characters are uninteresting and flat (from an artistic, but certainly not a physical sense, what with the abundant skin on display). As just mentioned, Verastegui is either passed out or paralyzed by indecision about which woman to pick.

Vergara gets the flashiest role and is briefly fun in it, but Velasquez gets the short end of the stick with her spoiled, socialite part. The star, of course, is the radiant Sanchez who not only looks but acts like a young Sandra Bullock (and even plays a clumsy beauty pageant contestant here just like SB did in "Miss Congeniality"). Unfortunately, there's not much to sustain her.

There is, however, never any doubt the three women will bond or grow as individuals after the initial catfight moments (which aren't plentiful enough in number or creativity) and that only makes the offering feel that much more unimaginative.

Mercifully short at just 80 some minutes, yet filled with flat characters, inane plot developments and behavior (even for a film like this), and not enough comedy or romance, "Chasing Papi" just didn't do it for me. The film thus rates as just a 3 out of 10.

[Kim_EZ]

Eduardo Verastegui es muy caliente y guapo.

Eduardo Verastegui wa hansumu to omo imasu.

Damn.

Heh this movie looks okay.

[movies35]

BOy, this one isn't getting very good reviews.

[Kim_EZ]

Yeah, everyone's complaint is the lack of plot.

[XCoRyX]

this is actually playing around in more screens around here then i thought.roselyn sanchez is cute,but i dont think that will make me go out and see it.

[Sinfolti]

Who am i supposed to feel sympathy for. The dumb women. I mean if he can play that many fine latinas, more power to him. I mean what can they do to get him back. I'll probably end up seeing this sumtime in the future, just to support my latinas, of course J-Lo will still get none from me, cuz she puerto rican and i'm mexicans, and everyone elso knows that mexicans kick puerto ricans ass.

[mannylage]

Even thought I was born in Puerto Rico and now live in Atlanta, GA, I still don't think I will ever spend time watching a movie like this...Please, it looks like pure shit. But that's just my opinion.:)

Love, Manny.

[spacemonkey]

Hey Im Puerto Rican, and I like Roselyn Sanchez a lot, theres no denying that she is a major hotty, but come on the truth is the truth, this ones just another formulaic romantic comedy. Nothing too special about that.

But Im glad Roselyn Sanchez is getting around, I mean shes in three films at the same time!

In Boat Trip she was mega cute! And the film itself was funny as hell...she had to have some guts to agree into doing that scene with the Banana...that was some really funny stuff! The whole theater I was in was cracking up! I wasnt expecting it to be so funny!

And in Basic, well she was practically unrecognizable with all that military gear on. The only reason I recognized her was her voice, cause shes got that particular way of speaking where you recognize it right away. Too bad the movie was such a convulated mess.

All she really needs is a really good film to be in. Shell really take off as an actress soon I hope. I would love seeing her in more films. :D