Instructions Not Included (2013)A mostly Mexican comedy about a single man who abruptly finds himself raising a baby girl. And things get funny and wild from there, and enchanting. The goofiness that makes you think the movie is actually kind of stupid (or even bad) mellows and sharpens up as it goes and after half an hour there is a different kind of humor and warmth that really works.Part of the magic here is the two leads—the father and the little girl—are terrific. And they get along in a way that makes the whole movie buzz. There are still a few corny jokes, but mostly the humor is made up of the funny feelgood things that come along in life. Amazingly this is Eugenio Derbez's first stab at a feature movie, after years of Mexican television. In fact, the first half hour is exactly like Mexican television. And we all grow out of it together, which is a relief and a sign that there might be more good things to come from this man. (This is true of Mexican directors in general, take note of the last two winners of Best Picture, 2013 and 2014, along with their cinematographer.)So if you expect something canned or obvious here, you'll be surprised. What you do get above all is a sincere, human drama that is mostly airy and fresh. There are some silly clichés—characters who play types and only the thinnest of those types—but we are lucky that almost all of the movie includes the leading man and the little girl. Watch this and make sure you stick it out past the establishing scenes that build up for a good half hour.

While Eugenio Derbez' comedic wordplay is worth an occasional chuckle if you can sit through the shrill, garish presentation of his many television series, the idea of spending two hours with Derbez was daunting on its face, but my spouse, who adores him, insisted. Derbez only got where he is by winning the lucky gene pool, as he happens to have been born of the truly talented and multidimensional actress, Sylvia Derbez, which kind of makes him Mexico's Liza Minelli, although he is, unbelievably, even more irritating than his American counterpart. This particular film features less of Derbez' amusing wordplay and more of all that is off-putting about this talentless buffoon, who makes sure to paint his character as angelic, rather than asinine, which, if you're actually listening to the dialog instead of being distracted by his constant mugging (think Jerry Lewis and Cantinflas' love child) is the only apt description of this protagonist. I couldn't believe what a self-righteous, maudlin infomercial for the catholic church's medieval ideas on procreation and homosexuality this obnoxious piece of crap turned out to be. Don't waste your time. If you have half a brain cell, you'll be sorry you did.

The Master Humorist. He's been doing humor for decades in Mexico. One has to only say "Que alguien me explique" to see how large and ubiquitous his influence is.Here his humor is interspersed throughout the entire movie. But, without giving away much, I'd point out 2 Classic Derbez moments.One is the shocker and burst-out-laughing moment during the "mommy-auditions". The other is when the school principal is dumbfounded to see the mom in school for the first time. His satirical comment along the lines of "...she's just getting back from paying the cab driver... something about not having enough change or something...". (You'll see the full meaning when you watch the movie.)Loreto Peralta as Maggie is incredible. Her performance was riveting. Perfect timing, perfect responses. I went looking for other performances/movies and found none! Impressive new-comer! As impressive were the gut-wrenching performances by both Derbez and Jessica Lindsey (the mom).Derbez's directorial debut is impressive. Well, not really. One could hardly expect any less since he's been doing much of everything in the TV world for a long time.He well deserves the accolades.BTW, Derbez's appearance in the comedy "Rob" (2012 CBS TV Series), where his short on-screen time overshadowed the main character, was an early forecast of the things to come.

It managed to touch me, make me cry, laugh, and leave feeling good despite a sad ending. The movie manages to keep you thinking the lead character is just a lovable goof, when in reality, something else entirely is going on. That was well done, and despite what a few reviews suggest, was excellent acting (played the part he was asked to with perfection). I would watch this film again just for pleasure. I can't say that of every good movie I have seen. That is all that is important to me. Quirky. Fun. Sad. Only a few smaller roles that weren't acted as well as they could have been. A wonderful little actress. Great funny faces. Nicely directed.