Chasing Papi Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Chasing Papi Blu-ray Movie Review

Is this a disc worth catching?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 25, 2013

Why is it that physical attraction and sexual interaction are so problematic for so many people? OK, dumb question, the answer seems obvious, doesn't it? That innate drive to be with the prettiest girl or to date the most attractive man has been around for as long as history records. It's just biology...right? But the bigger question, then, is this: what causes infidelity? Why is it that once a man or woman finds that perfect mate that they so often cannot keep from not just looking elsewhere, but actually cheating? Infidelity is the oldest problem in the book, (which is why the world's oldest profession exists), but sometimes, for some people, it's not so much "cheating" or "infidelity" as it is legitimately sorting out just who that special someone should be, juggling the options and hoping all the balls don't drop at the same time and on top of one another. And that can be just as damaging to all parties. Chasing Papi takes a lighthearted approach towards the tale of a man dating three women and the comedy that results when they all discover -- simultaneously -- that they're not his one and only true love. The film fails -- epically -- to probe deeper beyond the surface, but it at least raises some interesting questions amidst its playful chaos.

World's luckiest or unluckiest man?

Tomás Fuentes' (Eduardo Verástegui) has it all -- good looks, a great career, and a sexy girlfriend. Actually, make that three sexy girlfriends. The Los Angeles-based businessman and babe magnet frequently travels for work, and he's got a girl in Chicago, another in Miami, and a third in New York. But they're not just his playthings. He legitimately loves all three, so much so that just dealing with the stress of juggling his love life is making him physically ill. Unfortunately, things are about to get much worse. Each of the girls -- Miami's busty cocktail waitress CiCi (Sofía Vergara), Chicago's learned Lorena (Roselyn Sánchez), and New York's socialite Patricia (Jaci Velasquez) -- happens to hear the same advice from a shady television star: go get your man, no matter what it takes. So off they all go to Los Angeles. But who do they meet at Tomás house? Not sus amor but rather one another. Can they sort out who should win the guy they all love before driving one another crazy?

Chasing Papi delivers light, innocent fun in a rather straightforward story of comedy hijinks centered on a trio of beautiful lovey-dovey and starry-eyed vixens with not a bone in their bodies that isn't of the jealous kind. It's more a classic "Buddy Movie," however, and less a typical Romantic Comedy, evident once the girls converge and set out to lose their man, no, keep their man, no, discover who they really are and if they really need a cheating, albeit handsome, guy to get to where they want to be in life. It's all very much predictable, even in the midst of the throwaway criminal element side plot that ultimately doesn't do a whole lot for the movie that couldn't have been accomplished with a little more in the way of creative rewrites. Yet for as insanely predictable as it may be, and as slow as it feels in spots, there's an innocent charm to the thing that will at least leave audiences no worse for wear.

On the plus side is the absence of a raunchier nature that so many likeminded films embrace. Chasing Papi aims for subtly sexy rather overtly graphic in its language and physical appearance. It's highly suggestive, no doubt, but playfully so. The cast seems to have fun with the material -- always a plus -- and pulls together under the umbrella of simplistic innocence and light entertainment. The girls make the movie into something that it probably shouldn't be, a better picture thanks to their spirit and all-out energized performances, not to mention obvious chemistry in every scene they share, which is pretty much the entire second and third acts. Where the film finds most of its struggles is in the aforementioned absence of deeper elements and its wayward direction. As to the latter, the film does benefit from its playful and happy-go-luck façade, but there's hardly even a hint of emotional development behind the expected "self-discoveries" at film's end. Chasing Papi also feels haphazardly constructed, with far too much split screen and other examples of over-stylization getting in the way of an otherwise fun cadence and simple but effective narrative.

Chasing Papi Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like most of the other 20th Century Fox catalogue titles released through Anchor Bay, Chasing Papi features a serviceably decent but somewhat underwhelming, problematic, and aging high definition transfer. For the most part, this is a stable, consistent image that shows good details and a fair film-like texture. However, there are instances of details going a bit flat and pasty, but never to any sort of excess. Colors, too, are nicely balanced and suitably vibrant, crucial considering that this is a very bright, cheery film both tonally and visually. There are a few problem areas, however. Light wear is occasionally evident, blacks aren't always perfect, and the image shows some rather thick edge halos, at times. Still, it's far from an awful transfer. It could certainly benefit from a little TLC, but for a cheap catalogue release -- this really is the definition of "bare bones" -- it suffices.

Chasing Papi Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Chasing Papi features a straightforward but sometimes energetic Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is playful and fairly aggressive. Clarity isn't perfect and the track feels slightly over-pumped and over-pronounced, particularly at the beginning and across the back channels. Still, it's a lightly enjoyable experience that kicks things up during a dance segment later in the film and again at the very end, the latter really the only chance for the subwoofer to stretch its legs and deliver some healthy beats. There's not much else to the track. Light ambience occasionally makes its way to the ears, but listeners will never feel fully immersed in this world. Dialogue, for the most part, comes through clearly enough with only a couple of brief instances of insignificant shallowness.

Chasing Papi Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Chasing Papi contains no extras, and no menu is included. The film begins playback immediately after disc insertion. Optional English SDH subtitles must be switched on or off in-film with the remote control.

Chasing Papi Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chasing Papi neither invents nor redefines anything in the cinema sphere, but it's a playful little escapist nothing of a movie with no real redeeming qualities outside of a few energetic performances and a decent enough, though fully predictable, plot of three ladies finding themselves when they find one another. It's less a Romantic Comedy and more a "Buddy" film, but chances are even fans of the former will find the movie mostly agreeable. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of a 20th Century Fox catalogue title featured decent video and audio. No extras are included. Rent it or buy at a bargain price.