Nosotros los Nobles (We Are the Nobles) (PG-13)
Gaz Alazraki's film went on to become Mexico's highest grossing film of all time when Warner Bros. released it there in March. While I don't foresee the film causing quite the sensation with Pantelion's stateside release (I don't even see it breaking the record for highest grossing Mexican film in the U.S., recently set by this summer's surprisingly touching Instructions Not Included), it should most definitely find an affectionate audience here. The premise is simple: the patriarch (Gonzalo Vega) of the wealthy Noble family tries to teach his long-spoiled adult children (Karla Souza, Luis Gerardo Méndez, and Juan Pablo Gil) a much-needed lesson in earning their own keep and carving out their own rewarding lives by faking a financial catastrophe that forces them all to live in his run-down childhood home and the three to get (gasp) actual jobs. The expected lessons--for the three and the audience--are all here: about the true value and measure of wealth in life, thinking for others aside from themselves, the importance of family, et al. But director/co-writer (with Adrian Zurita and Patricio Saiz) Alazraki proves to be adept at juggling earnest sentiment and more raucous laughs. If the notes hit in either of those categories aren't exactly surprising, the game cast's commitment and obvious belief in the material goes a long way, with the younger actors declaring themselves to be talents to watch, most especially crossover-star-in-waiting Souza. One cannot exactly call Nosotros Los Nobles anything new in any language, but the charms of all involved transcend any hunger for innovation.