Puerto Ricans in Paris (2015) User Reviews

Had potential, could have been better but does showcase why one loves Luis Guzmán

[subxerogravity · 5/10 · 13 June 2016]

It's not the worse movie I ever saw, but had the potential to be so much better.

You see the title of the movie and the first thing you think is that this is a fish out of water comedy. Knowing who Guzman is I was expecting The New York raised Latino to have a culture clash in Paris' hi style scene, but the movie really does nothing with that idea.

He plays a cop who gets hired by a Fashion company based in France to track down a fancy hang bag prototype that was stolen and is being held for ransom.

Guzman with Edgar Garcia play partners and brother-in-laws in a buddy cop style that is obvious, but not done well. It was a badly done cop movie as the cops really did no cop work. The little that they did was really little for the movie as a whole.

What the movie does do is point out why we love Luis Guzman as a supporting character in pictures. Guzman being the lead character in this movie doesn't seem to be interesting, yet it works and makes the film watchable, but not great. It's in comparison with another Latino supporting character actor, Danny Trejo when he did Machete, it's everything you like about him as a supporting actor.

And shout out to Edgar Garcia who was a good fit for Guzman in the buddy cop relationship but the movie should have gave them more to do if that's the genre they are trying to achieve.

So overall, the movie makes little sense, but it will be fun and enjoyable if you like Guzman.

Something different

[RS-Bundy · 6/10 · 4 February 2017]

Of course you can't expect t it to be on the same level as a blockbuster comedy film but it's something different and it has Luis Guzman, He's a fun guy all around. There were parts that could have been funnier, and it looks like they were trying to be funny but perhaps the script didn't work out that way. Really glad to see a guilty pleasure film made.

The beginning of the film starts out appealing, it looks like it's going to be outrageous but doesn't quite get there. It had some moments that made you smile and even laugh. Can't say it quite made you laugh until you cried but enough to keep you engaged. not too familiar with the director Ian. The production looks like it had good quality video editing. It had some good name actors: Rosie Perez, Rosario Dawson, and Luis Guzman. I definitely would like to see more guilty pleasure movies like these.

better than average comedy - Puerto Ricans in Paris

[arthur_tafero · 6/10 · 1 January 2019]

This is not the greatest comedy of all time; not even close. But it is funny and entertaining, and that beats the average comedy that is out there these days. The director does a fine job keeping the pacing even and Louie under control (I have known Luis since the 80s when we worked together as teachers down at Henry Street Settlement). I have reviewed several of his films as a second banana or less, and generally, with the exception of one or two roles, Lou has always done a professional job. I was not sure, as I started to roll this film, if Lou could hold up a film in the lead; but he can. He and his partner had great chemistry and the film was done straight rather than slapstick, which was a very good choice by the writer and director. The only reason the film was not rated higher, was that there was no discernable difference between these two detectives and any other Lower East Side detectives. They could have been Italian, Russian, Jewish, or a few other nationalities; there really was nothing that would catargorize them as Puerto-Rican. They looked like two AMERICANS in Paris (just not the Gene Kelly type). Actually, it was probably a good idea NOT to try and catagorize them as Puerto Ricans; their actions were no different from the vast majority of people who live in the Lower East Side, regardless of origin. In any event, I am happy for Lou that the film is a moderate success, and I hope he makes more features in the future.

Quirky but pointless

[Dar Star · 4/10 · 16 March 2018]

Nice views of Paris and attractive French ladies, but there was basically zero story here. Enough visual candy for one viewing though.

Quite enjoyable.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 9 April 2016]

Puerto Ricans in Paris surprised me when I saw it at the Gasparilla International Film Festival. This is because Rosie Perez was on hand to discuss the movie...which was great. However, she was not a major character in the film! I loved seeing this youthful actress but I would have preferred seeing Edgar Garcia, as he was my favorite actor in this cute little film.

When the movie begins, Luis (Luis Guzman) and Eddie (Edgar Garcia) are both very successful undercover cops in New York who investigate cases involving counterfeit designer products. Because of this, the pair of Puerto Rican cops are asked by folks to come to France to help them investigate a case where some designer bags have been stolen before they are released to the public. In other words, unless the company pays ransom, the market will soon be flooded by knockoff purses. While it's not exactly believable that the French folks would ask these two to investigate instead of just having French police or private security films look into the matter, it doesn't really matter...this is just a nice fish out of water buddy picture.

Once in Paris, Luis is completely out of place. He's brash, a bit obnoxious and fancies himself a ladies' man. Unfortunately, he's a complete failure in the city of lights...and soon he's a bit jealous of Eddie. After all, although Eddie is happily married, there is a gorgeous model who adores him....so why can't Luis the bachelor get any of the ladies to look at him?! Perhaps it is because Eddie is just an incredibly sweet guy...the sort of character who loves his wife, loves his kids and is rarely seen in films. He's strong and likable...and his character certainly was a huge plus for the film. However, it's not all Garcia...the writing and directing are also rather nice. Plus, over time Guzman's character grows...and grows on you.

Will this film change your life? Certainly not. But while it's slight, it's also a film that is hard not to enjoy. A nice date film or a movie worth seeing if you want to see something a bit different. Plus, I can't help but admire a picture this enjoyable considering that it was shot in only 17 days...something that just seems impossible!

Just an average comedy

[deloudelouvain · 5/10 · 30 August 2016]

I expected more from Puerto Ricans in Paris. But it didn't deliver like I hoped to. I like Luis Guzman, and he's the one in this movie that makes attempts to make you laugh, but apart of the occasional little grin there isn't that much to laugh with. There is also almost no action at all. It's one of those Sunday afternoon movies. Good enough for television, for everybody to watch, without anybody really paying attention to it. The story is just weak, two Puerto Rican cop buddies that try to solve the mystery of who stole the designer handbag. You don't even care about who did it because there is just not enough action, suspense or humor to keep you interested. Good enough to watch once on a boring day if you have absolutely nothing else to do.

'Puerto Ricans in Paris' is a light-hearted buddy cop comedy with solid performances and enough laughs to warrant a viewing.

[bryank-04844 · 7/10 · 7 June 2016]

I'm not so sure on the 'Puerto Ricans in Paris' title, other than to possibly make way for a string of franchise films with similar names with his comedic duo, but Ian Edelman's first directorial effort is a funny buddy cop film that leaves the big action beats on the back-burner and instead, relies on the comedic genius and calm demeanor of its stars. Edelman created the HBO show 'How to Make it in America' and brings along two of its stars in Luis Guzman and Edgar Garcia, who play Eddie and Luis respectively, two New York police undercover police officers who take down people and businesses making counterfeit handbags, clothing, and sunglasses. You know, most of you have been to New York and have paid less than $100 for a seemingly "REAL" Louis Vuitton handbag. Eddie and Luis are the guys that stop these people from making the counterfeits and passing them off as real.

This duo's funny, but unusual style has brought in a french businessman and his famous designer Colette (Alice Taglioni) to ask Eddie and Luis to travel to Paris and go undercover to catch the thieves that stole her upcoming new handbag for next season. The thieves sent a ransom note that if they don't get paid by a certain time, they will make thousands of fake handbags, thus destroying the new line of upcoming high end purses. Eddie leaves his four kids and wife (Rosie Perez) at home after a failed anniversary attempt at romance, while Luis can't seem to commit to his beautiful girlfriend (Rosario Dawson).

Once in Paris, let the good times role, as Luis tries to score with French women and try to catch the thieves. Again, this isn't an action movie. There are no real car chases, gun shots, or explosions here. Rather than that usual trope, Edelman relies on Guzman to improv a ton of funny lines and dialogue, which we can see in the outtakes during the end credits. Edgar and Luis seem to have a fun time on screen, but Edgar seems a little too soft for the real dramatic moments, and the duo seems a little unbalanced at times. Still, his charming quiet ways are still endearing, while Luis's comedy and brashness garner big laughs in every scene.

Taglioni turns in a good performance as well here, crossing between comedy and some more dramatic moments. It's a shame that Dawson and Perez don't have much screen time here, because their characters and scenes were some of the best in the film. I just hope that if a sequel to arise, those two actresses would come along for the journey. Edelman's eye for Paris was beautiful and quaint, giving us the opposite of a tourist view, which was nice to see. 'Puerto Ricans in Paris' is a light-hearted buddy cop comedy with solid performances and enough laughs to warrant a viewing.

RECOMMENDED!

Facile and fluffy buddy-cop comedy about a missing handbag with an ethnic topcoat and a Parisian backdrop. Not a good film, but a sincere one.

[ParsingHaus · 3/10 · 7 June 2016]

I would like to stress at the outset that Puerto Ricans in Paris is not a good movie. If you take only one thing from this review, it must be this. I'm going to say some things in the paragraphs that follow -- I may even say I enjoyed it -- but let there be no uncertainty. Movie. Not good. Okay.

So here's the rub. There's a certain primal pleasure in watching a film like Puerto Ricans in Paris, an unabashed B-movie buddy comedy that knows what it wants to be, aspires to nothing more, and delivers just about what you'd expect. Granted, it's abysmally weak by ordinary standards, but let's be realistic -- you won't wander into this one expecting Fellini. From those to whom little is given, little is required. Or something.

The title pretty much sums up the premise, but here goes: Luis Guzman and Edgar Garcia play two NYPD detectives working the counterfeit luxury goods beat. When a Parisian arrives with a special request -- help a famous designer (Alice Taglioni) find a missing prototype handbag worth millions -- the pair jets off to Paris (macarons, bro?) and vapid screwball comedy ensues.

I enjoyed the early promise of the counterfeit luxury goods angle, since I recently read Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster -- and a surprising number of details in this film actually ring true: like a corporate heavy ousting a designer to profit from her name, and the faithful portrayal of Canal Street merchants and their backroom dens. That said, I haven't the faintest idea why this luxury-goods storyline was paired with overt Puerto Rican ethnic humor -- it's as though two separate spec scripts were shuffled together and promptly green-lit. Not that it matters much, since the luxury angle fades into the background right quick.

The Parisian storyline is simplistic and frankly not too important, a basic whodunnit in which even the filmmakers regularly lose interest. Guzman and Garcia go through the motions of screening various suspects (often donning ethnic disguises, because easy laughs) and in the meantime chastise one another, have heart-to-hearts about the meaning of family, and so on. Characters come and go; some story lines are left unfinished.

The protagonists are simplistic and one-dimensional, but likable nonetheless. Guzman is the ladies' man of the pair, a perpetual bachelor and womanizer -- a role that's frankly hard to take very seriously given that he's not exactly George Clooney yet he's slinging more game than a Spiderman reboot on some very young, very attractive French women. (To be fair, he has limited success -- his shlubby appearance paired with aspirational macking could've been a punchline here, but I don't think it was.) Garcia by contrast is married with kids, and we taste his workaday struggles when his wife (Rosie Perez) laments yet another unobserved anniversary. In Paris, Garcia's loyalties are tested when the beautiful designer takes an interest in him -- but the film stops short of ever causing Garcia a real problem in this regard. (One senses that family and loyalty are particularly sacrosanct here -- we mine Garcia's plight for gentle laughs, but never place him anywhere near risk of actual infidelity.) Secondary characters are double-thick stereotypes. Yes, this is ground-floor, feel-good xenophobic comedy for Trump Nation.

This movie struggles to strike the right rhythm with its two-fish-out-of-water premise. And we're never really sure if Guzman and Garcia are bumbling or actually on their game. Director Ian Edelman also does his best to reinforce an American tourist's fantasy of Paris, all gleaming cobblestones and streetlamps and whimsical bicycles and fancy hotels and baguettes and Eiffels and romance. (The less that's said about this, the better.)

Production quality isn't great. Much of the film looks like it was shot on an iPhone 6 and with about the same budget. The end credits would have benefited from an undergrad intern, ten minutes, and a free trial of Final Cut Pro. Puerto Ricans in Paris is, however, mercifully short, clocking in at just over 1 hour 20 minutes.

But all that said, and perhaps in spite of myself, I still enjoyed this movie. Puerto Ricans in Paris is just wholly unpretentious. This is real, working-man authenticity in film form. I mean, look at the title. That's real honesty. And while I wouldn't send you to see it, I also won't blame you if you do.

Like our style? See more reviews at The Parsing Haus (www.parsinghaus.com).

Worth the five buck rental

[Brustersampson · 7/10 · 15 June 2016]

Cliché yet fun. Luis Guzman is as charming as usual and the rest of the supporting cast is very good. The Female actors were the best and most entertaining of the film with their fun, charismatic choices which really fleshed out their characters. They really made the film entertaining. Edgar Garcia seemed to be the only one that missed the performance boat. I suppose rising seas can't lift all boats, because that dingy sank. There were a few redeeming moments for his acting but sadly the most believable moment he had on screen was when he was riding the bike. Someone give him a task while he is saying lines for god's sake. I'm almost upset with the director for letting that slide but you have to keep the machine running I suppose. I'm not trying to bash him into never acting again, I want him to do well but he's got to put in the work to deserve better criticism.

I think the film was shot fine but I would like to see some slight changes on some of the moments. The writing was OK, but some glaring plot holes as in why they had to go to Paris and the connection with the snake was pretty bad.It was as if the the guy funding it had an idea and then everyone else smiled and said,"Yeah, that sounds great" and nobody had the guts to say, "No, that's awful please don't take away the funding." I feel as if they had the money to shoot it suddenly and they had to rush the script into the production and had to rewrite as they went. Even Luis Guzman said they had the money before they had movie in an interview.

Ian Edelman feature directorial debut had its flaws but everyone's first does.I remember my first time.... directing a short and it wasn't pretty(Neither was the other thing). It was like most teenagers, goofy and uncoordinated so I can only imagine a feature. I would like to see the lead characters a little more three dimensional and interesting because it almost seemed like all the good lines and characters when to the costars and occasionally Luis Guzman. I have to say though for your first its a great stepping stone and well done. I'm looking forward to the next film to make the leap!

Overall it's worth the five bucks on Amazon Prime to watch Luis and the Female co-stars putter around Paris for the couple of mishaps and jokes.

Last note - I think Rosario and Rosie would have made a much better duo for the film and made Luis and Edgar be the one's that had to stay at home. I can just picture Edgar with his sulking performance trying to be the house wife and complain to Luis that his wife doesn't treat him well while she's in Paris. Plus it would have been fun to see the role reversal which would been fun on so many levels to really push social norms envelope.

Amatuer

[haugaard-85749 · 2/10 · 13 August 2019]

Semi ok fore a Hangover Day ..... some times overacting NOOOOT funny when they do that.

Funnier than you think

[nami_oki · 8/10 · 27 September 2020]

Worth more than a 5.4 rating. The title seemed a little cheesy to me but within the first five minutes I was hooked. It's cute, funny and entertaining Luis Guzman is so entertaining to me no matter what part he plays but I loved the comedy dynamic between him and Edgar Garcia in this. The pace of the movie is great, give a shot, it's worth it!

Quirky and lots of fun and lots of Paris

[thejdrage · 7/10 · 16 May 2022]

I'm a big Luis Guzman fan, and now a big Edgar Garcia fan too.

This is a fun romp around Paris - with two funny and kind guys.

NOT enough of Rosie Perez!

So if you need/want some laughs and don't want to have to think a lot, this is the movie for you!

Stopped watching after 20 minutes

[jenom-447-319279 · 2/10 · 8 August 2017]

A same person writes/directs/produces a movie ....nothing good can come out of that. The "story": 2 New York detective looking for a stolen handbag in Paris. How much more lame can it get? Well, just have 2 short,fat & ugly man mingle with tall & good looking women in tight dresses in Paris. Often this movie looks like a tourist commercial video (bicycling on empty streets) or a women fashion show (everybody wears tight evening dresses all the time) Could not stand this "masterpiece" for more than 20 minutes, try it and see how long you will last ?

From New York, without love in Paris.

[Reno-Rangan · 6/10 · 24 October 2016]

This is not a film that everybody was looking forward. This something an unexpected film from the new crew, but the actors were somewhat known to us. They are mostly supporting cast from the mainstream films, but they played the main characters in this little film. A simple cop film that tells the story of two NYPD detectives who were hired to solve a case of stolen handbag in the Paris. So they pack their bags and land in the city of love. It's like a vacation for them, but they aware of their assignment and they begin working on their own way to find the thief. The rest is the small adventures filled with the decent comedies.

The film was short and there were no mega stunt sequences. Not because it was a small budget film, but it was aimed to keep everything simple. More like in the real society, but improvised it by adding some comedies. I don't know Luis Guzman ever did a lead role, but this is first of his for me and I enjoyed his part along with his partner. The praise must go to the effort, not for the overall film. Because I knew it won't be another 'Bad Boys', so I braced myself to watch it and then I found it better. It is a lot better than many craps from the recent time, so it is worth watching at once, but don't force yourself.

6/10

Four suspects, two cops, and a hot blonde

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 19 November 2017]

Luis (Luis Guzmán) and Eddie (Edgar Garcia) are crack NYC cops on the front lines in the battle against "illegal drugs, human trafficking, and terrorism" by taking knock-off hand bags off the street. They are hired by Colette (Alice Taglioni) a French hand bag designer to find her new design stolen hand bag. The plot weakness is that in Paris, NYC cops have no jurisdiction. Paris cops or private detectives can't do the job, only two Puerto Ricans (with one being a half-wit) can do the job.

Eddie is married to Luis' sister (Rosie Perez) while Luis recently broke up with his girlfriend (Rosario Dawson) over the commitment thing. Luis goes to Paris as a crude American pick up artist while Eddie shows a little class and style and has major appeal to the young ladies to the chagrin of Luis. I discovered that FUBAR is a place and not just an acronym and Luis discovers that all the French speak English and pretend that the don't.

The film has some humor and works back on itself like most decent script.

Guide: F-word. Brief model nudity

Love this movie!

[trustingnone-25778 · 10/10 · 7 March 2017]

This is one of the best comedies I've seen in a long time. The chemistry between Garcia and Guzman remind me of the old comedy duo of Abbott and Costello. The French actors are amazing and bring a lot of substance and depth to this awesome movie. I hope they're planning a sequel! A must see film for everyone!

Good Movie

[chilipeppers-17879 · 8/10 · 15 January 2017]

Overall, I thought it was a good movie. There was one part I didn't quite understand. They're looking for a stolen purse. They found it with one of the suspects, then they're looking for it again. HOW DID IT GET LOST AGAIN? That's my only question. I need ten lines so I'm putting in this for satisfy: The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe First Published in 1845 Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. " 'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door; Only this, and nothing more."

I gave this the highest rating

[BobMalugLugaLugaLuga · 10/10 · 3 February 2022]

I gave this the highest rating because it made me feel good. The last movie that made me feel good was We Got a Zoo. It was warm, funny and I was never bored. I actually enjoyed pausing it because I knew it gave me more time to enjoy it when I pushed play again. For those with my personality, you will rate it high also. Just our cup of tea. Maybe because I am an Aquarius. Maybe I'm just a very sensitive guy. It grabbed my heart.

Thoroughly enjoyed this movie

[taub · 9/10 · 21 January 2022]

I loved this movie. These characters are real. People with passion for their families, their creative works. People who are sad after divorce. Police work in the real world is like this. It's not usually full of explosions, and martial arts.

I loved a movie with some ethnic humor, like we used to use in NYC when I grew up in the '60s. I laughed many times from little smartass lines in the movie.