Paul Rodriguez was a no-show for Friday's debut test screening of the comedy movie "I'm Not Like That No More" at the Plaza Theatre.
There wasn't enough of him in the movie, either.
Rodriguez brings a kind of goofy, manic energy to his role as the patriarch of a Latino household, a retired Mexican wrestler who announces the clan assembled around the cramped dining room table that he and his wife are getting a divorce.
The rest of the dysfunctional crew tackles breakfast as if nothing earthshattering has happened — the oldest son's a horn dog who prefers his women dumb; the younger son announces he's gay as he and his boyfriend make goo-goo eyes; the smart, college scholarship sister is a self-impressed snob; and the abuelita admits she once had a lesbian affair.
The one who munches on his breakfast burrito with the most obliviousness is the slothful Felipe, a 33-year-old slacker with long, curly locks — some call him the Mexican sasquatch — and a big gut whose biggest concern is which parent will get custody of him.
The fun pretty much ends with that breakfast table scene. Soon we're watching Felipe, played by stand-up comic Felipe Esparza, flaunt his ample gut for the camera, discuss the merits and demerits of buddy Edwin's possible three-way as fellow compadre Shaun proudly crows about his masturbation techniques.
The movie's pretty much downhill from there, following Felipe and his buddies as they slack off at work, and try to film a video to establish either workman's comp or sexual harassment claims when they find out the boss wants them fired.
They hang out in a club that appears out of their league, and fool a couple of besotted, money-grubbing girls into believing they're film producers. While they take turns tossing their cookies over Felipe's buddies, one of many scenes that should tell you how unfunny much of this movie is, Felipe's scoring points with the old high school chum he helped protect from a bully back in the day.
"I'm Not Like That No More" is based on comedian Esparza's stand-up act, and is a classic example of how difficult it can be to translate stand-up comedy into cinematic gold. I've never seen Esparza in concert, though the stuff I've seen on YouTube is pretty funny if sometimes hit-and-miss.
But in the hands of writer-director Christian Sesma and co-writer Matt Flynn, the material comes off as generic, formulaic, occasionally boorish and not particularly funny. It's got a seen-it-all before quality —and seen it better.
Turning stand-up comedy into flesh-and-blood characters is not as easy as it looks. There's not enough meat on these bones, story-wise, and a conceit in which Esparza addresses the crowd isn't used frequently enough to be effective.
Esparza can't quite carry the movie on his own. He's got a kind of everyman quality that makes him believable, and gives this Latino-oriented movie some crossover appeal. But before he and it are able to do that, they need smarter and funnier material — and a lot more of Paul Rodriguez, who, presumably, will be around for Saturday's shows at 5 and 7:30 p.m.
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