El buen patrón

Javier Bardem is really amusing in this comedy drama. He ("Blanco") owns a company that manufactures scales, and is very excited to learn that they are up for a local civic award (he even has a space on his wall at home for the trophy!). Unfortunately for him, his best pal at work is his operations manager "Miralles" (Manolo Solo) who is having some marital difficulties causing him to screw up just about every order leaving their plant. To make matters worse, one of his disgruntled former employees "Jose" (Óscar de la Fuente) is conducting a one-man crusade outside the entrance on a piece of waste ground. Finally, well he has a bit of a wandering eye - and intern "Liliana" (Almudena Amor) is the latest object of his affections. The challenge for "Blanco" is - can he keep it all afloat long enough to win his cherished cup? It's not exactly laugh our loud, but the evolving nature of the scenarios as they gradually intertwine makes for a thoroughly enjoyable watch. A strong supporting cast help the star to deliver a punchy, sarcastically witty and wryly written observation of just how so many family business are probably run - a sort of benign megalomania. There are one or two threads that don't work quite so well, particularly towards the end - and it is perhaps 15 minutes too long, but for the most part this is an entertaining outing for a star and a director very much on form.

The perfect amusement for a break from heavy movies.