Seeing the trailer for "Valentin" multiple times at my local art house theater in Oregon I was reminded of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," an old American television series that starred Bill Bixby as widower father whose adorable seven-year-old son was determined to find a mother by marrying Dad off.
Valentin, played by the cross-eyed eight-year-old Rodrigo Noya, is just as adorable as child actor Brandon Cruz was in the American show. And like Eddie, Valentin has a colorful mother figure, a grandmother played by Carmen Maura. (The American Eddie had "Mrs. Livingston", a Japanese American housekeeper to look after him.) And while Valentin is given plenty of comic routines to perform -- Laugh as Valentin explodes a television set! Grin as Valentin dresses up as an astronaut! -- as we watch him try to cement his Dad's engagement to Leticia, a new girlfriend played by the gorgeous Julieta Cardinali, this movie isn't the heartwarming comedy the trailer promises. So be prepared for some dark moments as you watch Valentin fulfill his promise as a matchmaker.
Nonetheless, this movie has its appeal, especially I imagine for Argentines who were children in 1969 Buenos Aires where the story is set. In fact, the city often looks, well, just plain cute, as spotless vintage cars glide in and out of the background while actors dressed in the styles of the period go about their jobs.
Watching the charming and nostalgic "Valentin", it's no wonder that director Agresti says in an interview on the movie's DVD that many Argentines of a certain age especially given the troubled times that befell the country in the 1970s and 1980s consider 1969 "the country's last good year." 7/10
Valentin, played by the cross-eyed eight-year-old Rodrigo Noya, is just as adorable as child actor Brandon Cruz was in the American show. And like Eddie, Valentin has a colorful mother figure, a grandmother played by Carmen Maura. (The American Eddie had "Mrs. Livingston", a Japanese American housekeeper to look after him.) And while Valentin is given plenty of comic routines to perform -- Laugh as Valentin explodes a television set! Grin as Valentin dresses up as an astronaut! -- as we watch him try to cement his Dad's engagement to Leticia, a new girlfriend played by the gorgeous Julieta Cardinali, this movie isn't the heartwarming comedy the trailer promises. So be prepared for some dark moments as you watch Valentin fulfill his promise as a matchmaker.
Nonetheless, this movie has its appeal, especially I imagine for Argentines who were children in 1969 Buenos Aires where the story is set. In fact, the city often looks, well, just plain cute, as spotless vintage cars glide in and out of the background while actors dressed in the styles of the period go about their jobs.
Watching the charming and nostalgic "Valentin", it's no wonder that director Agresti says in an interview on the movie's DVD that many Argentines of a certain age especially given the troubled times that befell the country in the 1970s and 1980s consider 1969 "the country's last good year." 7/10