Search - Casi Casi on DVD

Delightful comedy

Felix Diaz | New Jersey, USA | 07/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A delightful picture made in Puerto Rico and in a league with many Hollywood productions, the writers/directors have managed to extract excellent preformances from the amateur teenage cast. Hollywood tends to use older actors in teenage roles who can look back at their adolescence and express what they felt objectively (Stockard Channing was 32 when she starred in Grease). Mssrs Vallés managed to get these teenagers to show all their angst, sexual frustrations and romantic aspirations even though they may not even understand them now. There was a true sense of discipline and professionalism in all aspects of the production. Although this movie is in Spanish, the mostly Anglo audience reacted effusively to the situations and even to the spoken jokes--this mainly due to the excellent subtitle translation and timing. The mix of suspense and comedy was enhanced by the excellent musical score that made the action seem like a choreographed ballet. The character of the school Principal, played by Marian Pabón (who is the only professional actor in the cast), was perfectly executed with time-bomb constrained subtlety as she tried to take control of the students while repressing her own sexual frustrations. The Valles Brothers affectionately remember their heritage with a subtle allusion to their grandfather, the late Mario Pabón--TV producer/director, in the form of a gingerly placed photograph. I'm sure he is proud."

Casi Casi Loads of Fun

Juanita Benjamin Torres | San Juan, PR USA | 06/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The movie is a must-see for anyone who has ever been in high school and remembers those student council races. It's a film that makes you laugh from beginning to end, with the stereotypical, mean high school principal, unsuspecting teachers, and of course, your "group" of unforgettable friends. The film is clean and good for the whole family. The added bonus is great footage of the Island of Puerto Rico and a catchy musical score. I bought 10 copies for family and friends!"

Casi casi: At last, a good Puerto Rican movie!

Fernando Castro | Puerto Rico | 05/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Casi casi is a small budget movie that belongs to a very interesting and often unexplored movie genre: Latin-American teen flicks. But don`t be fool by the small budget or the teen flick parts. Although Casi casi was made by two first time directors, eight first time film actors in leading roles, and with only one digital camera, Casi casi comes through as a truly enjoyable film for young an old alike.

I recommend this movie mainly because it is a very well written story, something that unfortunately is seldom seen in Puerto Rican films. The narrative flows very naturally and very efficiently. The story captures the audience in its very first 15 minutes, making them totally forget that they are watching a digitally shot movie. Another important aspect of the story is that it departs considerably from the socio-political themes that heavily predominate in Puerto Rican cinema. Casi casi breaks new ground by being the first Puerto Rican movie in recent years to totally dismiss this in order to concentrate on an often forgotten demographic in the Puerto Rican entertainment business; 8 to 11 year olds, and preteens. It is, in essence, a very good family movie with a bit of adventure, a bit of action, a bit of comedy, a bit of romance, and lots of heart.

Although its sets and photographic value are generally average (the behind the scenes demonstrates why), the postproduction immediately raises eyebrows for its high quality. Casi casi is very probably the first Puerto Rican movie in a long long time to have its own classical score. Written by Peter Mills and performed by the New York repertory orchestra, the classical score fills many voids in the movie, making it the most notable part of the movie. I can say that without this score this would have been an immensely inferior production. The score is basically 50% of the movie. In addition to the score, Casi casi also pays homage to its tropical roots with its very own salsa score (done by Frankie Ruiz & Jerry Medina) that will surely stick to you for a while.

Almost all the main parts (excluding the adult characters) were first time teen actors. Except for some minor awkward moments with the main character's (Emilio's) tone of voice, the acting is very good. The acting in Casi casi can undoubtedly hold up to the professional actors from other Puerto Rican productions. In my opinion, there was nothing amateur in any of these kids' acting, except of course for the character of Ángel. He sucked, he was horribly bad.

Finally, I also recommend this movie because it is a very good movie. Lots of meat in its bones. It is a fun movie. If you want to see an interesting foreign fun film for the whole family, then Casi casi is for you."

Fun, but watch the language

Chalkbrd | IN United States | 07/04/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was hoping to show this to my high school students, but the language in the subtitles is awful. I think the language is much worse than a typical US PG-13 movie so be aware this is not PG material. (For schools, this can be a very touchy subject!) It is a cute movie and IF I could show it to them or find some way to bleep out all the bad words in the subtitles, my students would really enjoy it. As it is now, though, I'm the only one who is enjoying it."