Papi Chulo
- Director: John Butler
- Writer: John Butler
- Producer: Rebecca O'Flanagan; Robert Walpole
CGiii Comment
Casting is everything...and, John Butler got it spot on with Matt Bomer & Alejandro Patiño...the unlikeliest of [lovable] duos!
Kudos to a writer/director who can lull their audience into a false sense of [comfortable albeit oddball] security...Mr Butler does just that. Messieurs Bomer & Patiño are the quintessential odd couple...the comedy is mostly derived from the reaction to a given line, to a given situation...it is a delicious thing to witness, actors reacting to each other and a director who is able to capture it all. Crowd-pleasing, heart-warming stuff.
And then, just when you least expect it...one short line changes absolutely everything. There's an audible gasp...as the reality sinks in. From where it starts to where it ends up, Papi Chulo is a finely crafted travelogue of the human coping mechanism. It veers [seamlessly] from the downright ridiculous to a heartfelt humanity...again, one line changes the perspective...empathy...and all that that remarkable word encompasses. Another audible gasp!
It really is just a beautiful, enriching and rewarding film...laugh, cry, empathise.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
A lonely TV weatherman strikes up an unusual friendship with a middle-aged Latino migrant worker.
Cast & Characters
Matt Bomer as Sean
Alejandro Patiño as Ernesto
Elena Campbell-Martinez as Linda
Wendi McLendon-Covey as Ash
Michael Shepperd as Stan
Tommie Earl Jenkins as Tom
Shaughn Buchholz as Mike
Tom Beyer as Floor Manager
Irene White as Director
Caitlin Kimball as Horticultural Student #1
Marisa Szczepan as Horticultural Student #2
Brandon Kyle Goodman as Devan
Blaine Swen as Todd