After returning to Mexico to direct the sequel to “No manches, Frida”, Nacho G. Velilla, born in Zaragoza, returns to his homeland to perform in ‘Por los pelos’, a comedy that reminds us once again that it is this genre that usually works best in Spanish productions. After the success of ‘Padre no hay más que uno 3’, by Santiago Segura, the director of ‘Villaviciosa de al lado’ tries to replicate that triumph at the box office, with a proposal with which he shows, with a humorous gaze, one of the great fears of modern man: becoming bald.
“Por los pelos” was born after Velilla, who co-wrote the screenplay with David S. Olivas and Antonio Sánchez, read an article revealing that more than 500,000 people traveled to Turkey every year to have a hair transplant. There has been a lot of talk about this type of medical tourism in the Ottoman country, famous for its hair implants and its soap operas. Of course, it was the ideal premise for a choral comedy with which Velilla tries to explore the reasons that lead every man to travel to a country whose language they do not know to see their scalps repopulate.
In addition to considering that ‘Por los pelos’ is the fixed image of a reality that is undergoing a change, since Spain itself is also becoming a powerhouse in hair transplants, Velilla puts in front of the mirror the complexes of contemporary man and how baldness affects today. To do so, he bets on three protagonists whose reasons for recovering their hair are very different. Y, Although the chemistry between Antonio Pagudo and Carlos Librado is excellent, it is the motivations of the main characters that the film falters.
A comedy that has given more
Of three, only one’s plot has a critical complexity that hints at a toxic marital relationship and in which the script makes an exercise in ‘bald pride’. In the case of the other two, it is not really thorough, since leaving the toupee to wear real hair due to aesthetic or social pressures is not fully developed. The problem, perhaps, is that It was decided to introduce elements of the comedy of tangles, in order to create situations that invite humor or gag. There, the ribbon wobblesespecially in its final part, in which a sequence worthy of a robbery film is created, the consequences of which are excessive for what the film requires.
the introduction offered the opportunity to make a proposal for commercial comedy with an acid and intelligent touch, in the purest style of Carlos Therón in ‘I leave when I want’ or ‘Operación Camarón’. Also, the film has had top notch performances ever since Antonio Pagudo and Carlos Librado are geniuses of comedy. Mention also goes to Eva Ugarte, who was wasted for a while, because this proposal was joined by the failed ‘Mamá no enRedes’ and ‘The game of keys’, in which it was seen that her potential was not well exploited.
Despite having a great cast and being ideal for the genre, ‘Por los pelos’ doesn’t go beyond being an entertaining comedy with a theme that it doesn’t know how to fully exploit. It is far from ‘Fuera de carta’ and ‘Que se die los feos’, in which Velilla has shown her knack for quality commercial comedy, where you can laugh at stereotypes and claim a different beauty and aesthetic. A proposal made to pass the time but which required a little more content.
Note: 4
The best: The chemistry between Antonio Pagudo and Carlos Librado.
Worse: Several gags don’t work, not even the introduction of comic elements and its ending is too wild.
Source: E Cartelera
