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‘Papi Chulo’Review: Dir. John Butler (2019) [Sydney]

Papi Chulo Review: A quirky, offbeat buddy-comedy about two disparate souls finding friendship and respite within the company of one another.

 The old adage ‘Less is more’ feels applicable to most films of late and for his third feature, Papi Chulo, director John Butler adopts that mantra and shows audiences just how well a simplistic narrative can operate in his low-key, resonant drama.

Sean (Matt Bomer) is a weatherman in turmoil following a recent breakup; when he has an on-camera meltdown during a broadcast, he’s sent on leave for a few days to recharge and take stock. With more time than he knows what to do with, he decides to redecorate – still residing in the house he shared with his ex-lover in a bid to rid the place of their memories. To do so, he enlists the assistance of Spanish-speaking handyman Ernesto (Alejandro Patino) and the pair quickly form a touching friendship despite the language barrier.

What follows is a quirky, offbeat buddy-comedy about these two disparate souls finding friendship and respite within the company of one another. It’s a very low-key chamber piece; there’s little in the way of plot but Butler makes it work. For most of the runtime, we just spend time with these two characters – getting to know them, as they do each other. It’s almost meditative in how it’s paced, ebbing and flowing gently with these characters through the heat-stricken streets of L.A. Butler imbues Papi Chulo with such heart and kindness – it’s a warm, feel-good film full of charm and humour that will have you smiling ear-to-ear. This is largely in part due to the considerate writing – unabashedly joyous and unapologetically good-hearted in a way few films have the audacity to be – but also the earnest work from Bomer and Patino; the pair have such veritable chemistry and the fun they’re having together is undeniably radiant.

The film does have a couple of scenes of conflict towards its latter stages that feel a little out of place with everything else, clearly put in for the sake of heightening the narrative that don’t quite work as well as they were perhaps intended to, and the story is otherwise quite predictable but the film is just so charming and effervescent that it’s hard to dislike. It’s inconsequential and never really elevates its genre and material but it’s a formula executed well enough – thoughtful, empathetic and innocuous. Bomer and Patino both give such likable, joyful performances and Butler’s writing is so honest and kind that Papi Chulo is a lovely time.

It’s a film that is full of spirit and heart; in the age of everything being so “dark and gritty”, it’s refreshing to see something just slow down and take things easy. Imagine having a glass of wine in the garden on a sunny day: that’s what watching Papi Chulo feels like. And that sounds pretty good to me.

Papi Chulo was reviewed at the Sydney Film Festival by Awais Irfan, June 2019.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a real passion for movies and for writing. I'm a superhero fanboy at heart; 'The Dark Knight' and 'Days of Future Past' are a couple of my favourites. I'm a big sci-fi fan too - 'Star Wars' has been my inspiration from the start; 'Super 8' is another personal favourite, close to my heart... I love movies. All kinds of movies. Lots of them too.

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