This farce about a Palestinian coming to
meet his Jewish fiancée’s family is a Spanish take on Meet the Parents that’s at least as
funny.
I saw this movie at the Philadelphia Film Festival way back
in April of 2005, so it was an unexpected surprise to see it getting a
regular US theatrical run at this late date. Written and directed by the
husband-wife team of Dominic Harari and Teresa de Pelegri, it’s one of the
funniest films you might see in any year. The festival’s program guide pitched
it as a Spanish Meet the Fockers, and compared its star, Guillermo
Toledo, to Ben Stiller, which is pretty fair, except that the original Meet
the Parents is probably the better comparison. Toledo plays the Palestinian
boyfriend coming to meet his fiancée’s Jewish family. Since she’s not even told
them he’s not Jewish, a night that tests their liberal values is in store. Meanwhile,
the boyfriend has to contend with a frustrated housewife, a slutty sister, a
religious-fanatic brother, and a gun-toting grandfather. (Argentine star Norma
Aleandro, a 1987 Oscar nominee for Gaby: A True Story, plays the
mother.) Stereotypes all, but the plot is so well-constructed, and the
direction so well-timed, that you barely notice. Only Human also
features the funniest falling-frozen-food incident since a certain episode of WKRP
in Cincinnati.
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