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Instructions Not Included
R1 - America - Lions Gate Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (28th January 2014). |
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The Film
 Not many people may have heard of "Instructions not Included", it was a small Mexican film that saw a successful theatrical run last year. The film never really opened wide, per se, however it made an impact in many latino communities and managed an impressive $39 million on 978 screens making it the highest grossing Spanish-language film in United States. The film was equally a hit in its native Mexico, breaking box office records, proving that Eugenio Derbez is a huge draw in Mexico. Capitalizing on his immense popularity having been a staple on television for many years churning out quirky comedies, he crossed over to feature films and "Instructions not Included" proved just as popular as his TV stints. "Instructions not Included" tells the story of Valentin (Eugenio Derbez), a womanizing playboy that sleeps with a different woman each night, he's like a casanova of Acapulco. When one fateful day, a former one night stand, Julie (Jessica Lindsey) comes knocking on his door and leave behind a newborn baby girl, which she claims is his. She abandons the baby with Valentin because she simply can't deal with being a mother so soon. Realizing that he's stuck with the baby, Valentin tries to track down Julie by crossing over into the U.S. illegally, but gets sidetracked by taking a job as a stuntman in Hollywood movies. Years go by and Valentin ends up taking care of an raising his daughter, Maggie (Loreto Peralta) now a precocious 7 year-old. Things are going well for the pair, with Valentin unable to tell Maggie the truth about her mother, tells her that she's traveling around the world helping less fortunate people and going on adventures. However, one day - Julie returns and wants to reconnect with her daughter and their lives are threatened when Julie wants more than just visiting privileges. First impressions are that "Instructions not Included" are a silly and offbeat comedy. Which is mostly true, but it's also a manipulative family drama that obviously plucks the heartstrings. Telling a predicable story about a playboy bachelor that has to finally come to terms with his ways, grow up, assume responsibility and be a father. Inevitably Valentin develops a strong bond with his new found daughter and bringing her mother into the mix only strengthens his bond, doing everything he can to keep her in his life. The film also features an incredibly heavy handed, sad ending that couldn't help feel forced. I'm all for sad endings, not every story ends with a happy finale, however, in this case it wasn't necessary and just done for the sake of having a memorable ending that doesn't play to the norms. There are moments in the film which are sporadically funny, however for every funny and touching moment, there are several unfunny and melodramatic moments that make the two hour run time drag on. I applaud the filmmakers for trying to be quirky and different, but the shameless ending really spoils all of that, and frankly, the quirk gets tired and boring. Halfway through the film the tone shifts to family drama that feels like something out of a TV movie. Not even Eugenio Derbez's effervescent personality can save the foundation from caving in. The cast is hit or miss, while Derbez is generally likeable, his shtick gets old quickly. Loreto Peralta's performance fluctuates throughout the film from fairly competent to just plain awful. There are scenes where the child actor does a decent job of interacting with her fellow cast mates, then there are some that simply fall flat. It's as if Derbez gave up at some point and just started printing the first takes only. The same can be said about Jessica Lindsey. It's the supporting cast that tend to hold the scenes together far better than the main cast. "Instructions not Included" tried very hard to be funny, quirky and dramatic all at the same time, perhaps that's the problem - it tried too hard instead of developing an organic and natural progression of both the story and characters, that and the filmmakers chose to be emotionally manipulative. The film's success and box office clearly show that there is an audience for this film, it just wasn't me.
Video
Presented in a widescreen ratio of 1.78:1 anamorphic mastering, this image is decent for a standard definition DVD. Colors are bright and well saturated, this is a colorful film and they pop. Skin tones look good, however verge toward the orange a few times. The print is clean, fairly sharp and displays solid blacks. Shadow levels are solid, and the film showed no major compression related issues. Overall a decent image that can only be improved by being in high definition.
Audio
A single audio track is included in the film's original Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. The audio was perfectly suited for the film, dialogue was clean and clear without any distortion. The surround track does a fine job of presenting the audio, dialogue is front focused, with the film's surround activity being primarily ambient sounds, sound effects and score works well. It won't impress you like most lossless audio we're used to now on Blu-ray releases, overall it's adequate. Optional subtitles are included in English and Spanish. The English subtitles are digitally generated, I found no spelling or grammatical mistakes.
Extras
Lionsgate has released this film with a small amount of supplements, an audio commentary, plus a handful of bonus trailers and a digital copy version of the film. Below is a closer look at these extras. The primary supplement on this disc is a feature-length audio commentary with the film's co-writer/actor/director Eugenio Derbez. The track is sometimes in Spanish (with subtitles) and sometimes in English. He offers some interesting insight into the film, but it, like the film itself, this track does get tedious. Some people might be interested in hearing what Derbez has to say, but I found myself tuning out throughout the track. The disc is authored with a collection of bonus trailers for: - "Casa de mi Padre" which runs for 1 minute 15 seconds. - "Hecho en México" which runs for 1 minute 8 seconds. - "Cinco de Mayo, La Batalla" which runs for 2 minutes 7 seconds. - "Gloria" which runs for 33 seconds. The package includes a code to download an UltraViolet digital copy version of the film as well.
Packaging
Packaged in an eco DVD case housed in a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
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