directed by:
Nadia Zoe written by: Nadia Zoe, Ramon Torres genre: Drama, Comedy |
I mean…I’m naturally distrustful of anything to do with AI, but I’m very much in support of all things taco…so while I’m a bit torn here as “A Little Family Drama” begins and introduces us to young Matias’ food truck innovations, ultimately I think I’m on board with his idea. And yes – I’m STILL onboard after the whole truck basically erupts & starts shooting sauce everywhere. I’d be there with an open mouth!
Culture meets Comedy quickly in this movie, written and directed by Nadia Zoe. We follow along with the adventures of the Sepulveda family as they prepare for their family reunion. Cecilia seems like she’s…a lot, let’s put it that way. Playing roles of sister and mom, you can feel the seriousness she carries along with her while trying to keep the family in line. Maybe it’s one of those things – I’ve always been regarded as the responsible one in my own family, and I feel like we can inherently spot the people in other families who get burdened with similar responsibilities. Cecilia can be demanding, sure, but she’s also trying to juggle the crazy personalities and schedules surrounding her, and probably all of the time. As for Matias, we instantly pick up on his more aloof personality, and we start to get the sense that the very reason Cecilia has turned out in the overbearing way she has - is likely from being the sister who constantly had to look out for this guy. The cast seems to all be friendly and inviting overall, though – if you weren’t so busy with your own, you’d probably want to join in on the fun this family is having. Comedies are extremely tough to make. If there are too many jokes, they can start to wear thin. If there are too few, it feels like you’re watching a full-on drama. Then you’ve gotta deal with the whole ‘what’s funny to one person isn’t funny to another’ as well – it’s such a daunting task to write Comedy, and those that take it on never get the credit for how difficult it really is to strike the right balance. For instance, before you even see the opening credits, “A Little Family Drama” will get you laughing – but afterwards, it’s quite some time before you’ll feel like you’re genuinely laughing out loud again because the story has to be established along with its main characters. Zoe, who co-wrote “A Little Family Drama” with Ramon Torres, does a decent job of keeping the plotline moving, but it’s harder to say if the jokes are going to land as much as they might like them to. Alma Martinez, playing Anselma, carries a lot of the weight towards the start, and while I’d say she does well with the material she’s got - as she captures the sheer madness of being the matriarch of the family, we’re probably more in the realm of small chuckles than we are about to be rolling in the aisles, you feel me? She’s remarkably natural in this role, though, and as “A Little Family Drama” carried on, it seemed to become pretty clear pretty quickly that the storyline is fairly centred around her. Anselma’s invested in the notorious Tacomatic as a result of Matias convincing her it’d be a good idea, and while he clearly does mean well, anything he touches seems to turn into a disaster. Obviously, the family is concerned that bills are piling up, and the grandchildren don’t seem to be able to steer things forward so much as pull the family backwards into their shenanigans. All in all, the truth of the matter is right there in the title. While there are certainly comedic elements to this script, I felt like “A Little Family Drama” is much more focused on the dramatic side of the scenario. It’s still “a little,” though, and not a lot – almost like it’s a film that refuses to commit to either side of its split personality. The synopsis I read prior to watching this movie had me believing that I’d be laughing more. Sure, expectations can be a large part of how we absorb what we see and hear, and I’d still advise Zoe to be cautious in how she markets this movie; what replaces the comedic factor is a lot of heartwarming, relatable family fun. “Things have been messed up for a long time,” as Cecilia will tell you herself. We can see there’s a fragility to the things surrounding the Sepulveda family, but also a strong bond that can’t be broken. Is it fair to say that the real recipe for “A Little Family Drama” is very much the same kind of thing that made “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” work? That’s the kind of familial ties we’re talking about - and the cross-cultural way that “A Little Family Drama” draws upon to deliver its Comedy as we watch this Mexican-American family try to find their way to being functional.
In movies like this, you know there’s not going to be anything offensive in the mix – this is basically rated E for Everyone type stuff. There’s risk in that, however, and you have to wonder if “A Little Family Drama” doesn’t pull too many punches in favour of trying to please everyone at the same time. Some folks are going to wind up wishing that a film like this would push the envelope a whole lot more than it does - or accuse it of being way too safe…and they’re likely right to feel that way. The flipside of that coin is that “A Little Family Drama” will find placement in more places because it truly isn’t offensive and could be played anywhere & everywhere. The difference between making something more daring that doesn’t shy away from making more potent jokes & such - is that you can end up with a film that might turn a few people off but secure an attentive audience, whereas when you go in a milder direction and make a film that could be played overhead in a lineup at the bank, it can often be relegated to background noise as opposed to the kind of dedicated viewing everyone always hopes to secure when they make a movie. Much is being made of the mushrooms that are included with dinner, which serves to be the real plot twist in “A Little Family Drama” that has the most potential to send it into a much more comedic direction – the only question is whether or not it will be enough of a payoff after such a lengthy setup. I mean, we’re about an hour in before anyone even takes a bite of their meal, which leaves us precious little time to see whether or not these shrooms are going to really turn things around in “A Little Family Drama.” I’ll leave that last bit for you to see for yourself. What I can tell you is this – this movie never stops being pleasant, inviting, and genuinely nice. Comedies don’t need to be crude to be successful, but at the same time, going too light in that direction can really put you in the realm of just making a lighthearted family movie or a drama with a mellow vibe to it. I’m with the younger generation you’ll see in this film – I was hoping they’d all start “tripping balls,” but it becomes pretty clear that the credits will be running by the time we get there. With the setup that’s been put into the finale of this movie, it should be nothing but a laugh riot for the final half an hour…but I’m not so convinced that’s what we get. Instead, “A Little Family Drama” continues to play it too safe - and arguably to its own detriment. It’s cohesive, it’s enjoyable, and it’s watchable - but it’s undeniably missing some of the spicy flavors we’d typically associate with traditional Mexican culture, and it kinda seems like a regular slice of life that we’ve all experienced in something we’ve already seen, or dealt with in our own daily lives. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but it does make “A Little Family Drama” a bit too normal to stand out from the rest of what’s out there. It gets a friendly three stars out of five from me – it’s a good film – the cast is solid, and well-shot, but for me, there’s not quite enough here to warrant a second helping. |