One thing to know about me is that I'll watch pretty much anything. That said, it must be of my own volition.
For example, a lot of times, people will tell me, “Oh, you just have to watch these 2024 Netflix movies and TV shows” and my response will almost always be, “I’ll have to check it out!” which is pretty much me just saying, “I’ll never check it out!” Inversely, I've seen a lot of movies that you've likely never even heard of before, which is probably the case with the 2014 Mexican biopic, Cantinflas.
Because this is Hispanic Heritage Month, I thought what better time than now to talk about this film, which I've thought about frequently over the past ten years. Sit with me for a little while?
First Of All, I Never Even Heard Of Cantinflas Until I Saw This Film
As a cinephile, I’ve watched every movie to ever win Best Picture, which means that I’ve seen the 1956 David Niven movie, Around the World in 80 Days. In the film, Cantinflas plays a significant role as Passepartout.
If you’ve ever read the novel that the movie’s based off of, then you’ll know just how important of a character this is, as he plays the valet to the main protagonist of the story.
However, when I first watched 80 Days, I had never even heard of Cantinflas before, nor did I know just how important he was to the Mexican community. To me, he was just some silly character who went along on the adventure. That said, this biopic taught me all about the actor, and the wild and interesting life that he led.
Not only that, but it also taught me more about the history of Mexican entertainment in general, as Cantinflas, whose real name was Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes, was pretty much the Charlie Chaplin of Mexico (more on that later).
This film, which also stars Sopranos star, Michael Imperioli, as famous film producer, Mike Todd, introduced me to a form of cinema that I had no idea about whatsoever, and I likely would have continued to be ignorant about it if I hadn’t watched this film.
I Like The Way The Film Is Structured
Speaking of Around the World in 80 Days, I had no idea that Cantinflas actually won a Golden Globe for his role in the movie, and I like that this biography is structured around that victory.
We learn about Mario Moreno’s humble beginnings, and how he basically developed the Cantinflas character on his own. We then also get the side of Mike Todd, who’s grown bored with the same-old, same-old of Hollywood, and is looking for something new, which he finds in Cantinflas.
All throughout the film, the story is basically building toward them meeting, which eventually sets them on the track to make 80 Days. But, before all of that, we get to see Cantinflas cutting his chops in rundown canteens, only to build himself up to being one of Mexico’s most-beloved stars.
Again, I had never even heard of Cantinflas until I saw this movie, which makes this film both entertaining, as well as a history lesson. I approve!
I Also Learned So Much About How Similar Cantinflas Was To Charlie Chaplin
As a fan of black and white movies (and a rather recent lover of silent films), you know I just have to love me some Charlie Chaplin. City Lights, Modern Times, The Kid, the list goes on and on. For many, Chaplin is the old-time movie star.
And yet, according to this film, Chaplin was a great admirer of Cantinflas, which is again, something I had no idea about. As I mentioned earlier, he is often considered the Mexican Charlie Chaplin, and you see a lot of parallels between the two, such as silly boxing matches, and overall hijinks where Cantinflas finds himself being chased.
There’s one scene in particular where we get a sense that Chaplin actually set up the meeting between Cantinflas and Todd.
Now, while I don’t know how accurate this actually is, it’s still quite amazing to learn that Chaplin not only knew about Cantinflas, but that he also saw him as a contemporary rather than as a rival. The more you know!
The Film Is Both Funny And Dramatic When It Needs To Be
Way before my wife and I had children, I used to go to the movies every weekend with my parents. Sometimes, we’d pick movies that I wanted to see, while other times, we would see movies that my dad picked out (my mom, also a cinephile, was just happy to come along and eat some popcorn).
Well, when my father picked out Cantinflas, I didn’t know what to think at first. The poster featured a man with a silly mustache staring up at a hot air balloon, with the tagline reading, “From Mexico to Around the World.” When I asked my dad if this was meant to be a comedy or something else, he just shrugged, and then walked into the theater.
Well, what I found out was that it was both a comedy and a drama, and it melded the two seamlessly. Not too long ago, I talked about Ranbir Kapoor movies, and one of the flicks I mentioned was a biography on Sanjay Dutt. I liked the film, but one thing that slightly bothered me was that it leaned a bit too heavily into the drama aspect.
Cantinflas, as a film anyway, doesn’t have that problem. Yes, granted, Sanjay Dutt didn’t pursue a career in comedy like Cantinflas did. However, I like that this movie does act as both a comedy, but also as a drama when it needs to be. For example, in one scene, despite all of his immense wealth, the one thing he wants but can’t have is biological children.
This could have been a background plot amidst all of the trials and tribulations that came with his rise to fame, but it’s a prominent part of the story, and I like that the film got as deep as it did in that regard. It really makes the film feel even more personal than it had to be.
It Got Me Interested In Other Cantinflas Pictures
Lastly, Cantinflas actually got me interested in pursuing other films of his. So far, I’ve only seen one, but apparently, it’s one of the best. The title is, Ahi esta el detalle, and it translates to, “There’s the detail,” (Though, I’ve been told it can also translate to, “There’s the rub,” like that line from Hamlet).
The film is quite frenetic, with mistaken identities, an unfortunate incident with an animal and all manner of hijinks, but the most interesting thing (for me, anyway) is that I couldn’t find a translated version, so I had to watch the entire film in Spanish.
But, guess what? I still really liked it! Cantinflas was a really unique performer who, in this film at least, exhibited both confidence as well as a sort of stupidity that really made him endearing.
I’ll likely watch more Cantinflas movies in the near future (I hear El bolero de Raquel is another good one), but I think I’ll need to bone up on my Español a little bit more first. I’d like to actually catch some of the verbal jokes next time around.
Have you seen Cantinflas yet? If so, did you like it? Also, if you celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I hope you have a joyous one!
