BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Amari-Sali Characters & StoryMaria Laura, aka Mala (Aislinn Derbez), is an educated actor who can't find a role to save her life. However, with rent due, and her not wanting to take advantage of her best friend Kika (Papile Aurora), like Pablo (Luis Arrieta) does, she decides to take Kika up on an offer which will change her life. What is said offer? Well, the offer is for Mala to use her beauty to see if men are faithful to their girlfriends, wives, and what have you. A job which is very lucrative, but doesn't compare to the legit acting opportunity Patricia (Daniela Schmidt) offers her. But, before Mala gets the chance to be a legitimate actress, with a starring role, she has to con a man named Santiago (Mauricio Ochmann). Someone who Mala doesn't have the best opinion of, but Patricia wants her to make him fall in love with her and then break his heart. Question is, though: will she be able to make a man fall in love with her without falling in love as well? PraiseThough it is shallow to say, and perhaps not the best way to start off a review, I must say Derbez is very stunning. However, don't take her to be a pretty face, like Jessica Alba, who seemingly is only worth casting due to her looks. I say this because, arguably, Derbez can act and will draw you into the story. One which perhaps doesn't use the premise of a girl presenting temptation to guys to the fullest, but seemingly that is to keep the film lighthearted.But, taking a strong focus on Derbez's co-stars and the story, I won't say there is a whirlwind, "oh my god I want someone to look at me like that" type of romance between Derbez and Ochmann. However, they do have enough chemistry, and are both likable enough, for you to want to become invested in their relationship. Also, I would be remiss to not mention that while Derbez handles the romantic part of the story well, it is Alvaro (Juan Diego Covarrubias) and Pablo who handle the comedy. Which, again, isn't on the level which will make you roar with laughter, nor is their commentary something which will leave you with much, but they both keep the movie from ever feeling too long.CriticismWhile I do adore this film, I must admit that, in retrospect, it doesn't have the most interesting of plots or characters. This is mostly because, at the end of the day, Mala is a good girl just trying to pay her rent. And yeah, she is skeptical about men and love, but we are never provided the root to her issues to make the character seem like she has depth. Also, when it comes to the romance of the film, it goes by the very familiar formula of: They meet, one seems annoying to the other, they get to know each other, they fall in love, one reveals something which puts the relationship in danger, and then they reconcile and live happy ever after. Though, I should note, the ending isn't full-on fairy tale. Overall: TV ViewingI will admit I am mesmerized by Derbez's beauty, but even that isn't good enough for me to say you must see this movie. For with the film not having the most engrossing characters; lacking jokes which can do more than provide a chuckle; and with the story not necessarily providing us the type of love story you would be envious of, but more so it seemingly be about: Rich guy meets pretty girl, who just so happen to fall in love, there isn't a huge selling point here. For, overall, A La Mala is decent enough to rent, but I wouldn't say to go out of your way to get to a local theater to watch it. Things To NoteFor whatever reason, Kika, multiple times in the film, speaks English. Which is only weird to me since she is the only one to have full on sentences in English, while everyone else speaks Spanish exclusively.

linda_mosh Overdone plot, the dialogue is the worst thing about this movie. Insipid, forced, unnatural, adds nothing to the movie, explains plot points as if its plot was convoluted or complex. The movie could have been a silent film and it would have been an improvement. Clichés abound in this movie and it seems it was shot and directed by a someone who has had experience only shooting medical commercials and a couple of music videos-- the look is sterile, the shots by-the-book, kinda boring, bland. Aislinn Derbez does what she can with what she was given. She's a looker, alright, gorgeous eyes. But acting, in general, in this movie is wooden and a bit cringe-worthy at times. There's little chemistry between the two main characters. Emphasis was placed on actors looking gorgeous and flawless (even when "crying"). The writer/s seemed to not know how to develop a story like this. Characters stay two- dimensional throughout the movie and their actions and reactions are inconsistent. I think that there are other better chick flicks you can invest your time watching. Not the worst movie ever, but it's not very good.

westsideschl I am beginning to worry about Mexico, no, not talking about migrants, drugs, corruption, poverty, but its TV and film industry. Even worse than Bollywood, it seems to also offer little in terms of creative thoughtful storytelling as well as the acting to go along with it. This entertainment is just another form of their obsessively popular beauty pageants and wealth & image displaying Catholic Institutions just to pick two parallel examples. More of the same romance laced, peacock parading, monied caricatured themes pervasive in their TV & film. In other words this film, surprise surprise, had beautiful women, attractive males both displaying above average wealth and all playing the romantic hook up games with subsequent betrayals, dust-ups. The plot? An attractive female is hired by her friends, and through word of mouth & social media, others to entice their prospective mates into betrayal in order to test their commitment. Of course things go awry when one of those guy dogs actually loves (yes, it shows up) her.

alanramirez1 I wasn't really expecting a lot from this movie, because let's face it, one thing that Mexican comedy/romance films don't have is originality. With US chick flick wannabe "Cásese Quien Pueda", one of the worst films from last year, I didn't had high expectations from "A La Mala", starred by Aislinn Derbez, daughter of one of the most famous comedians from Mexico, Eugenio Derbez.The plot, which is pretty original for Mexican movies, it manages to keep entertained the audience from beginning to end, showing us a little bit of comedy (if you are Mexican, you know there's a lot of cursing, which guarantees a lot of laughs during the whole movie) and drama. But at the middle of the movie, you know exactly how it's going to end. We have seen these kind of endings in Mexican movies and shows that they don't have the "Wow" factor anymore. But I was happy with how this expected ending was executed, it was funny, and dramatic at the same time. The cinematography is also amazing. The movie also shows us a lesson learned for Mala, and you leave the theater feeling happy and joyful. After you watch the movie, you forget she's Eugenio's daughter. Aislinn is a charismatic actress that shines on her own during the whole movie, she's a talented actress with a huge future waiting for her. She's not like "a famous comedian's daughter that got a leading role because of that", she's really an amazing actress, and it seems that she earned the role and that she embodied Mala pretty nicely. Overall, this movie is an great comedy to watch with your family or your loved one, it's nothing we haven't seen before, but you'll enjoy the movie anyway. You won't want to miss it!