A heartwarming family comedy with a touch of lessons about fatherhood, love, and responsibility, slightly unbalanced by the dramatic final half-hour.
Valentin, a young carefree playboy accustomed to living life one day at a time, suddenly finds himself in a difficult situation: one of his former girlfriends, an American named Julia, leaves him with a one-year-old child and runs away. Together with little Maggie, Valentin sets off in search of the runaway from Acapulco to Los Angeles, but, unable to find Julia there, he stays in the States to raise the child, to whom he has grown attached during the trip. Over the next six years, Valentin transforms into the best father in the world, but the sudden return of the mother threatens the small family – Julia intends to take Maggie away and is not shy about her methods.
The film not only became a record-breaker in the local Mexican box office but also grossed the most money worldwide, turning a $5 million budget into $100 million in revenue.
Mexican cinema is in a peculiar position. On the one hand, its proximity to the USA and Hollywood makes the country an attractive market for scouting new talent and distributing films. On the other hand, the language difference allows Mexico to produce its own independent cinema. Until recently, Latin Americans did not aspire to anything more than modest local distribution and local successes, but the dramedy “Instructions Not Included” managed to break the barrier of misunderstanding and successfully perform not only in Mexico but also in the cinemas of its northern Big Brother. So, what made “Instructions” so appealing to the audience?
Shortly before the film’s premiere, Acapulco, where part of the film’s plot takes place, was hit by a devastating hurricane. The filmmakers donated a portion of the film’s opening weekend profits to the victims.
To deliver a massive blow to the global audience, the filmmakers used almost the entire available arsenal. The lead role is played by Eugenio Derbez, a popular comedian in Latin America, who also took on the role of director for the first time. The interweaving of Spanish and English languages, as well as the choice of Los Angeles and Acapulco as the setting, attracts the ethnic group that currently prevails on the American West Coast. The combination of drama and comedy, and finally, the shameless manipulation of children’s tears, are simple and accessible components. This cannot fail to work. And it worked; the audience brought money to the cinemas, looking at the acid-bright poster and buying into the obvious references.
Yes, “Instructions” cannot escape comparison; the similarity to the classic drama “Kramer vs. Kramer” is more than obvious, but the focus is that the film is not in a hurry to tell about the legal battle and related problems. First, the creators play comedy, and they play it successfully (jokes about the English-speaking child, inaccurate double translation, and the “Gravity” casting are really good). Derbez uses his entire comic potential in the first two-thirds of the film; perhaps only the attempt to make a 20-year-old playboy out of the 51-year-old actor failed, but otherwise, the actor is very convincing and even touching. Derbez formed a wonderful tandem with young Loreto Peralta; the chemistry is obvious, although both overact from time to time. And everything would be fine if “Instructions” played like Sandler’s “Big Daddy” (the creators send Sandler a funny greeting in the film, by the way), but in the last third, the film takes a sharp turn into drama and almost throws the baby out with the bathwater. From an unpretentious but cute comedy, the most unscrupulous ways of squeezing tears are suddenly chosen; everything is used: incurable diseases, a deceased grandfather, a paternity test, the separation of father and daughter, and a sudden escape. It seems that a little more, and a puppy will be killed in the frame, just so that the viewer bursts into tears. Fortunately, this does not have to be done – there is enough tragedy for everyone, even the most cynical viewers.
The film was lucky with the cast. Although the roles were played by actors not very well known even in North America, let alone the rest of the world, they formed a good, lively, and sympathetic ensemble. Despite the obviousness of the plot and the predictability of the story, “Instructions” has something to surprise you with at the very end. The film could have been shortened a bit, but one of the last scenes turns into a flashback, reviving the impression of watching. All this is done technically well and directed very accurately.
Final Thoughts
The only thing that is usually not very clear in such films is what they carry for the viewer. The idea that a child is the most precious thing a parent has? This is clear without prompting to anyone who has experienced the joy of fatherhood and motherhood. The hint is to always sacrifice yourself for loved ones? This is not instilled by films. No movie can teach you how to be parents, and we have already been shown the rest, except perhaps not in Spanish.