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Review by: Jack Foley | Rating:
Two
HAVING already met the Fockers and played Guess Who with Ashton
Kutcher and Bernie Mac in cinemas this year, audiences are now
faced with the prospect of spending time with the Dalinskys, a
dysfunctional Jewish family who are about to have a Palestinian
thrown into their midst.
The ensuing Spanish farce is a frequently amusing affair that
succeeds because of the believability of its characters.
The film kicks off as Leni (Marián Aguilera) arrives home
to introduce her fiancé, Rafi (Guillermo Toledo), to her
Jewish family for the first time at their apartment in Madrid.
Waiting to receive them is her uptight mother, Gloria (Norma
Aleandro), promiscuous sister, Tania (Maria Botto), recently orthodox
brother, David, and her blind grandfather, Dudu.
Yet despite getting off to a good start, things take a turn for
the worse when Leni reveals that Rafi is Palestinian, prompting
all manner of religious feuding.
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While Leni tries to console her mother,
however, Rafi compounds the situation by accidentally dropping
a container of frozen soup out of the kitchen window - only to
find that the passer-by it hits and possibly kills could be none
other than Leni's father.
Written and directed by the husband-and-wife team of Teresa
de Pelegri and Dominic Harari, Only Human provides a suitably
engaging alternative take on the well-trodden 'meet the parents'
scenario.
It's much funnier than Meet The Fockers and frequently contains
some wry observations about the difficulties of cross-cultural
relationships.
Both Aguilera and Toledo make an engaging romantic couple, while
Botto also excels as the deeply provocative sister.
It's just a shame that the film struggles to maintain its momentum
into its ludicrious final third, when events spiral out of control
completely, losing all grip on reality and failing to resolve
certain story arcs.
Up until that point, however, Only Human succeeds in engaging
the intellect as well as provoking much laughter, while delivering
an engaging set of characters that are well worth spending time
with.
(In Spanish, with subtitles)
Running time: 89mins
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