El pregón

El pregón is a 2016 Spanish comedy that, against all odds, manages to hold some shape. Not necessarily substance, but at least a framework that prevents it from being a total disaster. Directed by Dani de la Orden and starring Andreu Buenafuente and Berto Romero, the film tries to navigate between cultural satire, nostalgia, and emotional redemption, without truly mastering any of those paths. Still, it's an uneven, curious film that occasionally hits surprising marks.

The premise is simple but effective: two estranged brothers, once part of a one-hit-wonder summer pop duo, are forced to reunite in their hometown to deliver the opening speech at the local festivities. The greatest success of the script lies in using that reunion to build a solid comedic dynamic, bolstered by the natural talent of its leads. Andreu Buenafuente, usually more comfortable as a host or supporting actor, shows here that he can carry a leading role with some competence. He's not brilliant, but he's not embarrassing either. Berto Romero, on the other hand, owns the screen. He's absolutely hilarious, both in delivery and timing, injecting sharp energy into almost every scene he's in. Thanks to him, many of the jokes - though not all - land. And the ones that land are truly memorable: sharp, well-timed gems of humor that keep the film afloat.

Technically speaking, El pregón is better directed than one might expect from a commercial Spanish comedy. The direction is dynamic, the framing is clean, and the visual presentation avoids the sloppy aesthetic that plagues many fast-tracked comedies. There's a real effort here to make a film, not just a sketch.

That said, some aspects are simply indefensible. Chief among them: the music. The film centers on the fictional band Supergalactic, whose big hit "Pool Party Time" is supposedly the generational anthem that launched the brothers to fame. The truth? It's unlistenable. A musical disaster, jarring and utterly humiliating, even within the film's satirical tone. And worse still is the final act, when the brothers reconcile and compose a new song, "Silvia, mujer especial", meant to be heartfelt and touching. Instead, it's painfully corny, tonally jarring, and melodically dead on arrival. As a meta-joke, it's excessive; as emotional closure, it's a complete misfire - like stabbing yourself in the groin with a guitar pick.

Jorge Sanz, in a supporting role that could have been fun, instead drowns in flat overacting. His character lacks depth, his presence adds nothing, and his performance is among the weakest in the cast.

And yet, somehow, El pregón delivers a few emotional moments that sort of work. Not enough to move you to tears, but just enough to make you care - at least slightly - about the broken bond between the brothers. In a genre so often dominated by shallow caricature, managing to engage the audience on even a superficial emotional level is a minor miracle.

In short, El pregón is a failed but watchable comedy, with flashes of brilliance hidden beneath layers of mediocrity, a surprisingly competent visual style, and an insufferable soundtrack. It has everything it needs to be a disaster - and yet, it's not entirely forgettable. It sits somewhere between cringe and guilty pleasure. Not a good movie, not particularly recommendable - but oddly, it sticks with you. And in the overcrowded field of Spanish comedy, that alone is something.

Nice movie fun, watch! Good acting good songs, very much yes.

Two brothers who long time enjoyed a lot of success as a duet of popular singers get together again . Many years ago they got the number one on the hit lists with a famous single titled Pool Party Time with their band, Supergalactics . Nowadays, they are two bankrupted men, Juan and Richi Osorio, Buenafuente and Romero, both of them decide to leave their differences in order to pretend getting enough money and to become two music stars again. Then, a Mayor , Jorge Sanz , from their origin village attempts to reunite them to play songs and to recite the village speech . Although he really tries to recover his ex-girlfriend, Belen Cuesta.

The movie is interesting to see because of the fun as well as embarrassing situations that protagonists suffer in order to earn money. It contains hilarious sketches, tongue-in-cheek, grotesque incidents as a nudist procession, but above all, it displays humor and irony. Sitting in a strange middle ground and the stylishly enjoyable Funny, amusing and entertaining screenplay from Diego San Jose and David Serrano . Andreu Buenafuente and Berto Romero give likeable interpretations as the bemusing musical duet stranded long time ago who meet againto play togetherone last time. They are two well-known TV Late night show presenters . Acceptable support cast such as the incombustible Jorge Sanz playing a rogue Mayor, Belen Cuesta as his ex-fiancee, Cristian Esquivel, the veteran secondary Jose Lifante, among others .

It packs a colorful cinematography by Isaac Villa , a good cameraman who has photographed notable films, documentary and series, such as Ministerio del tiempo, Villaviciosa de al lado, Perdiendo el Norte , Lo mejor de mi and Out the dark. Evocative and atmospheric musical score from Alex Llovet, The Pinker Stones , Christian Rey and Salvador Rey. The motion picture was professionally directed by Dani de la Orden. He is a good craftsman who has directed a few films, series and documentary. He directed movies as Barcelona Christmas night and El mejor verano de mi vida starred by Silvia Abril, Andreu Buenafuente's wife, and Berto Romero himself. Rating 6. Acceptable and passable. Well worth seeing.

Berto Romero and Andreu Buenafuente are well-known comedians / actors / TV presenters, and have been very popular over the years. Their quick wit in interviews, and complementing styles have assured them their place in Spanish TV history.

The film tells the story of two has-been pop-star brothers who've spent several years not speaking to each other. They receive a call from the mayor of their home town to head the Easter celebrations.

The film has several laugh-out-loud moments, and was fun to watch. It's not a big blockbuster as other recent Spanish films have been (there were only two of us in the cinema) but we had a good time laughing at the ever widening gap between the traditional rural Spain and the modern city world and their seemingly irreconcilable differences.

The film's not perfect, but it's worth watching.