"La Boda de Valentina" begins as a "Meet the Folkers"-style film. Valentina apparently meets the love of her life in Jason. But it remains for him to meet her wild and wacky family in Mexico, as they plan the wedding.
Soon, however, the film morphs into a love triangle when Valentina is reunited with her ex-boyfriend Angel. She even agrees to marry him on paper for a brief period to help her family manipulate their substantial assets at a time when the father is running for mayor of Mexico City on the platform of the Party of Austerity.
Sadly, the characters are so poorly developed that they never hold the interest of the audience. There were various character types, such as the hyperactive mother-in-law, the dissolute younger brother, the doddering old uncle, the grandma appearing on Skype, etc. None of them were particularly interesting or added much to either the romantic plot or the comedy.
Most disappointing of all was the insincere way in which Mexican culture was presented. Mexico was portrayed through the lifestyles of the rich and famous, as if everyone south of the border wears jaguar coats and drives Lamborghinis. The shallow portrayal of the politician/father, who instantly cleans up vagrancy on the streets by having luxury cars towed away, was mind-numbingly unconvincing when considered in the light of the poverty faced by that nation.
The romantic side of the film was a complete flop. The comedy was entirely lackluster. And, somehow, the filmmakers tried to float the ridiculous theme that "marriage can fix things." But nothing was ever fixed in the game of romantic musical chairs among Valentina, Jason, and Angel. And the film failed to portray any significant realities of Mexican society, other than such stereotypes as tequila.
Soon, however, the film morphs into a love triangle when Valentina is reunited with her ex-boyfriend Angel. She even agrees to marry him on paper for a brief period to help her family manipulate their substantial assets at a time when the father is running for mayor of Mexico City on the platform of the Party of Austerity.
Sadly, the characters are so poorly developed that they never hold the interest of the audience. There were various character types, such as the hyperactive mother-in-law, the dissolute younger brother, the doddering old uncle, the grandma appearing on Skype, etc. None of them were particularly interesting or added much to either the romantic plot or the comedy.
Most disappointing of all was the insincere way in which Mexican culture was presented. Mexico was portrayed through the lifestyles of the rich and famous, as if everyone south of the border wears jaguar coats and drives Lamborghinis. The shallow portrayal of the politician/father, who instantly cleans up vagrancy on the streets by having luxury cars towed away, was mind-numbingly unconvincing when considered in the light of the poverty faced by that nation.
The romantic side of the film was a complete flop. The comedy was entirely lackluster. And, somehow, the filmmakers tried to float the ridiculous theme that "marriage can fix things." But nothing was ever fixed in the game of romantic musical chairs among Valentina, Jason, and Angel. And the film failed to portray any significant realities of Mexican society, other than such stereotypes as tequila.
