Although the plot hardly sounds like promising material for a comedy, what we have here is a charming celebration of life and love that still has room for acerbic asides on tradition, taste, junk culture, Catholicism and the family.
Ricardo Darín couldn't give a more diametrically opposed performance to his assured con in Nine Queens, while Héctor Alterio and Norma Aleandro (who last appeared together in the Oscar-winner The Official Version) are enchanting as the lifelong partners whose affection triumphs over the
most debilitating of conditions.
Indeed, Aleandro delivers an unexpected smile before the finale freeze-frame that's pure cinematic magic.
There's a mischievous yet judiciously restrained element of farce evident (mostly involving the failed actor played by Eduardo Blanco), not to mention a superbly-constructed running gag concerning Einstein, Bill Gates and one Dick Watson. So don't leave once the credits start rolling. The pay-off lurks within.