Balas & Bolinhos - O Regresso (2004) User Reviews

Great Movie

[pedro-sam · 8/10 · 21 September 2006]

This is a great movie made with only a few euros, it is the biggest success in the history of Portuguese movie, don't just think about the characters and the history, this movie has great sound and image quality, it pictures the life of a very little minority but it pictures it right, there are people that actually do the things that are seen in the movie, the small time pimp, the immigrant, the poor guy that does anything for a couple of meals, a couple of bad guys armed with a small gun and a pocket knife. This movie is all about fun, just watch the movie trailer, if you don't like it just don't watch the movie but if you like it, you won't stop laughing.

www.aacv.pt/

Excellent

[ricardo_m_caldas · 10/10 · 11 December 2004]

You must see this movie. It's a Portuguese movie made with a few EUROS and it's magnificent. It's a excellent comedy. It use very Portuguese popular sentences who made it unique in the world. It's an adventure of four friends that will make you talking about them for long time. In Portugal there are very good actors but there is no money to invest on them. This movie is almost a family production, with unknown actors and with a few resources. It's a splendid job that who was made. Maybe if you don't know the Portuguese culture it may be difficult to understand some jokes, but we many times can't understand American's or English's jokes. But its a very fun movie.

I RECOMMEND...

"Low budget movie" beats Portuguese Pro's

[prawn-1 · 1 December 2004]

I'll start with a question: How can an unsupported director make more success than a BIG FAT BUDGET MOVIES director? Creativity, creativity and even more creativity.

Luis Ismael made is debut in "Balas e Bolinhos". But "Balas&Bolinhos - O Regresso" made a boost in the Portuguese movie scene. The low budget movie was made with no official support but even this way, got is way to the BIG SCREEN. Making fairly more success than Portuguese movies with Portuguese stars, Balas&Bolinhos - O Regresso, counts with almost no stars at all, but their performance in the movie, makes everybody think that the so called Portuguese actors and stars should learn how to perform from the beginning. Luis Ismael, Jorge Neto, J.D. Duarte and Joao Pires made a fantastic movie full of action, entertainment and tons of laughs with just a few Euros and lots of creativity. Balas&Bolinhos - O Regresso, is also clammed as a Cult movie among teenagers. A third movie would be very welcome and would assure Luis Ismael quality as an actor and director. A trilogy named "Balas&Bolinhos" would free Portugal movie scene from Manoel d'Oliveira Shadow.

First & only good Portuguese film I have ever seen

[donklerk · 9/10 · 18 December 2005]

The die-hard phantom of Manuel Oliveira has tormented the Portuguese movie scene long enough, now it is time for Luis Ismael to step in with his vivid jerk characters and badly spoken one-liners. Goodbye romanticism inspired by the past and vanishing traditions, welcome farce-like portrait of society of northern Portugal in ever-continuing crisis, both moral and economical. The plot of this sequel of "Balas & Bolinhos" is not the most imaginative one: four old friends, real idle class heroes, get together for a treasure-hunt. That hardly bothers the spectator as the swing of this basic popular comedy and clear abuse of the most poetic of all the languages conduct the story to the end where the things are not quite as expected. The characters could be described caricature-like with a lack of the depth of personality, unless this bunch of bad apples didn't draw a perfect picture of Portuguese mentalities of modern, uncertain times. Of course, this film works better if the spectator has had some acquaintances with these obscure circles of small time criminals, undereducated jerks, 'cromos' as the locals would call them. Well, to those interested, just take a train from the railway station S.Bento of Porto to Valongo, ask where to buy drugs and you will surely get some first-hand experience. This sure ain't the kind of stuff that the scholars would like Portuguese cinema to be remembered of, anyhow this movie manages to be more unique, not to mention far more entertaining, than dozens of Lisbon-centered artsy-fartsy productions that actually had a decent budget. Along with the original "Balas & Bolinhos", this movie constitutes the groundbreaking film of Portuguese indie, that many residents of the suburbs of Porto refer as "the first and only good Portuguese film ever made".

A great movie for pre-teenagers, but simply not funny.

[pmiranda-3 · 1/10 · 8 March 2005]

It's great to have initiatives like this one, taking in consideration that this is a low budget movie... But this is based on very low / primary humor principals, and it pretends to be funny just because of the bad language, and crazy actors. The story, is no story, and it's not even original, as it tend to be a Pulp Fiction-humor-style of movie, and it ends being nothing but a bunch of clown acting comedy.

Only in Portugal, a movie like this one can have success, just because the amateur / independent movies are starting in the country, and the audience just like the surprise of seeing something different from the standards.

Simply a: NOT TO WASTE TIME WATCHING movie...

This movie Kicks ASS!!!!

[p_joel · 10/10 · 11 October 2004]

This is really one of the best nonsense comedy movies i've already seen.

As you seat in front of the screen you start laughing like a maniac and you only stop when the film ends. This film is very refreshing because it is not just one more of those American made movies which people are fed up to watch to. This is a Portuguese movie! Yeah, for those of you that only know Manuel d'Oliveira movies and like it, don't watch this. You won't like it, it is a very hilarious and interesting movie for you to like it. If you wanna laugh till your pants are all wet, then this is the right movie!

PS: Laugh all you can laugh

What a pity!

[Ridickulo · 2/10 · 14 January 2006]

If the first movie of the series did a lot with very little this one is exactly the opposite. Although the budget was largely increased, all that was good in the first flick is lost. The story rambles and rambles, simply not going anywhere and humorless scenes last forever. These useless ploys don't advance the plot, don't develop the characters and in sum, do absolutely nothing worthy for the movie except add time to it. It is just tragic to see how the superbly flavored characters of the first movie are destroyed with cliché lines that simply are not funny. All in all, this is a very painful movie to watch and not worth the rental money, let alone a theater admission.

You should Watch it

[tellosousa · 10/10 · 29 March 2005]

Very nice movie that can change anyone's bad mood... you laugh all the time watching it. It has many bad words, but those words make the movie much more funnier! If I'm not mistaken it was one of the Portuguese movies with most spectators. The story is very simple... it's about a group of friends that meet after some years apart and decide to hunt a treasure. The four friends then have a lot of adventures and meet a lot of obstacles to finally reach their first objective which happens to be an illusion, because the treasure was not what they were expecting. It's a pity that the movie is not being translated to other foreign languages so every one can be able to enjoy all the fun about this Portuguese success although I believe that it's not a very easy translation because of the kind of word!

What do you want?

[Tiago_Vieira · 10/10 · 20 February 2006]

For the blind critics of this movie I simply ask, What do you want? Don't criticize the hard work of all involved in this movie. If you think you can do better i suggest that put hands on the work gather all the money and do a movie, and you will earn the respect and I will respect your critics.

This is not a good movie for the intellectual to watch, the humor is not very much worked but doesn't mean that isn't funny. The story is very much like the others. One of the greatest triumph of this movie is make fun in a healthy way of many movies that is directed to (fake) intellectual people, and that same movies have a very high budget comparing to this one and showing to many people what can be done with some much little. The visual of this movie is very good and i'm not saying this because this is a low-budget movie.

To finish my review of this very good Portuguese movie, I hope the evolution of Luis Ismael and J.D. Duarte because their future is certainly wrap on a gold paper.

The Best

[duarte-fernandes · 10/10 · 21 November 2006]

This is the best comedy film Portuguese that I saw. I congratulate the authors, actors, producers and all the staff. Note that since the golden age of the Portuguese movies (the 50 and 60 decades), this was the first Portuguese movie that manage to completely sold out tickets in Portuguese movies. You must see this movie. It's a Portuguese movie made with a few EUROS and it's magnificent. It's a excellent comedy. O Regresso, is also clammed as a Cult movie among teenagers. A third movie would be very welcome and would assure Luis Ismael quality as an actor and director. A trilogy named "Balas&Bolinhos" would free Portugal movie scene from Manoel d'Oliveira Shadow.

Great!

[jonybigude · 10/10 · 1 August 2006]

If you like to laugh, no matter where you are from, you will enjoy this movie! It's a comedy based on basic humor that everyone can understand, and just like another Portuguese movie "Ninja das Caldas", made success and inspired a hole new wave of Portuguese directors that are revolutionizing the Portuguese cinema.

Note that since the golden age of the Portuguese movies (the 50 and 60 decades), this was the first Portuguese movie that manage to completely sold out tickets in Portuguese movies.

Once again, and like on the "Ninja das Caldas" movie, the Portuguese cable TV channel Sic Radical was the engine for this release, and changing on the Portuguese cinema.

The Movie without

[luistx-1 · 10/10 · 21 November 2006]

Hi!

Balas e Bolinhos - O Regresso it's a movie that breaks all the rules in the Portuguese movie scene. It shows the real language of 85% of the people in the Portuguese country and they are not shame of that!

Balas e Bolinhos shows the DREAMS of some that wants money and a future but they try to get it in the wrong way... :) In Portugal we don't have only NICE PEOPLE WITH LOTS OF MONEY... We have LOTS OF POOR PEOPLE that want to be someone!!

The movie entertains us!! Recently i saw an other Portuguese movie: "Filme da Treta"... forget it... bring me again Balas e Bolinhos... Please!!!

Luis Ismael: You are a PRO man!! :)

Regards

Luis Santos