Reviews

This a film about relationships, architecture, psychology, pop culture and humanity. The plot is simple: two non-related people have misadventures during their task to find love and understanding in the middle of overpopulated and chaotic city that seems to be the reflection of theirs lives and the lives of its cohabitant's. I will be honest: it is an interesting movie, not only for the photography but also for the themes that are developed during the course of the movie. The main problem is: it doesn't have almost any humour. In its task to portrait human behavior and soul it has committed the great sin to not make much use of satyrs and irony to show our contradictions and problems, and that isn't the only trouble, comedy for most times can make a movie more interesting and dynamic, things that this film lack a little bit when showed to a more popular audience that is not used to more slow and deep movies.

In this 2004 movie directed by Jared Hess, an alienated teenager portrayed by Jon Heder has his usual routine changed after he makes an unexpected friendship with Pedro (Efren Ramirez), a Latin immigrant. The movie makes a very good portrayal of the so called "middle America", a part of America not so influenced by multiculturalism. The film can be considered quite slow for some viewers mostly because one the main points of the movie is to show the routine, life and thoughts of the main characters what creates a very realistic atmosphere that contrasts with the great fantasy that prevails in most movies today. The film is sometimes able to create discomfort feelings of identification with the characters, who are portrayed in a very human way during the entire course of the movie. The movie, however, errs in not making a more profound development of some secondary characters like the grandmother and the popular girls in the school. It's not a brilliant movie, it's a movie that gives you what it has promised though it does have its moments.