By Mark Saldana
Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars)
This often uproarious comedy from Peru marks the last day that long-time buddies Balo, Ricardo, Domingo, and Kike will probably all spend together. These close friends plan to get together and watch a soccer game, just like they used to in the good old days. Unfortunately, their plans nearly get derailed when Kike unexpectedly passes away days before the planned event. On the day of his funeral, the rest of the guys decide to continue with their plans and abscond with Kike’s ashes after his funeral ceremony. Now that mortality is facing all of these gentlemen square in the eyes, there is no way they will give up the chance to spend this time together, for better or for worse.
Written and directed by Fernando Villaran who co-wrote with Gonzalo Ladines, Viejos Amigos has much heart and delivers hearty laughs. Some of the jokes do get repeated a bit much and lose some of their luster after a while. Still, the subject matter is timeless, as are the character archetypes. The material may not be anything brand new, but these grumpy old men will definitely keep audiences entertained and quite amused.